


The Lullaby

by Aaronna



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Based on Deliver Us from The Prince of Egypt, Character Death, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Canonical Character Death, Past Character Death, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Siblings, Sick!Merlin, Suicide Attempt, Trials, sick!arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 09:17:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 44,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19292782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronna/pseuds/Aaronna
Summary: The only thing Merlin refuses to do for Arthur, the one thing he has never even done for Hunith, is sing. But when Arthur is this feverish and panicked Merlin can't think of a better way to calm the prince enough to treat his wound. Takes place in Series 2 before Sin of the Father.





	1. Sick

Merlin knew Hunith was not the one who had given birth to him. That much he had figured that out at an early age, but she didn't know he did. She loved him all the same, she was his mother in everything but blood. She knew who his parents were. She had fallen in love with his father, that much was true, but never had she hinted as to who his mother was. Gaius thought Hunith was his mother, as does all of Camelot, but Merlin knew better. He had seen how bastards and their mothers were treated and Hunith was treated far more kindly. Another reason Merlin knew was a song. One he kept close to his heart.

Over the years people had tried and failed to get the lanky boy to sing, but he downright refused. He would hum, yes, but never would words leave his mouth in such a manner if he had anything to say about it. That was, until the hunt with the prince that went completely wrong.

The hunt had started like any other. Merlin was complaining about harming defenseless animals and Arthur would tell him how girlish he was. This went on for three days. Completely normal, that was, until a bolt from a crossbow came out of nowhere and imbedded itself in the tree by Merlin's head.

Suddenly three men came charging out of the forest. Arthur took one down with his own crossbow before drawing his sword and charging the other two. Merlin figured Arthur could take the bandits, but quickly picked up the dead man's sword and rushed to help his friend, just in case.

~/\\\/\\\~

The prince had both men on the defensive, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep it that way. He hadn't told Merlin, but he had been feeling ill for the last two days and this morning he had woken with a sore throat, aching joints and a pounding headache. Battling two bandits was not the best idea under these circumstances, but he had little choice. He could fight or let something happen to himself and Merlin, and that last thought was one that he refused to allow happen.

He managed to plunge his sword into the belly of one of the men, but that left his flank open to attack. As he was pulling his weapon from the dying man he felt the other man's blade slice into his thigh. The pain forces him to his knees. He turned his head to see the bandit swinging at his neck only for the blade to fall short as it made contact with the blade protruding from the man's chest. The man fell to the ground, revealing a shaky manservant.

Arthur had never thought Merlin capable of taking a life, but the he was trembling like a leaf holding a sword covered in blood. No sooner had this thought run through the prince's mind than, Merlin threw the offending weapon aside and rushed to his master. Arthur had nearly forgotten about his leg until Merlin whipped off his prized red neckerchief and tied it tightly above the wound. At that moment two things registered in Arthur's mind: One, that hurt and two, Merlin loved that piece of red cloth, but had been willing to sacrifice it to keep him from bleeding out. "Merlin must be desperate if he is using his scarf. Just how bad is it?" Arthur though disjointedly before passing out.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin had run as fast as he could to reach Arthur. He was almost there when the prince let down his guard in order to kill one of his opponents. Merlin pushed himself faster as he saw the blade cut deeply into the dolt's left leg. He could hear the bone break from where he was. As Arthur collapsed Merlin began to shake with anger. As he plunged the sword into the man's unprotected back he used his magic to alter the path of the blade to miss the prince's neck altogether. The fact that the blade hit his own was completely coincidental.

Merlin's rage quickly shifted to panic as he now saw how bad Arthur leg really was. The bone was definitely broken if the position it was in was any indication. It was the amount of blood that worried him the most. If the blade had cut the femoral artery Arthur would bleed out in seconds. With that thought he shifted into what Gaius once referred to as his 'physician mode', used his neck scarf to slow the blood flow, and turned to tell Arthur to be still. Merlin actually had to catch the prince as he slumped to the ground. He was burning up! The wasn't the usual overheating due to battle that Merlin was used to dealing with when the prat was usually knocked out during a battle, this was a fever.

After using magic to slow the bleeding to a manageable level, Merlin set to work on the bone. With a little work Merlin had the sever break healed to a minor fracture. Merlin knew he needed to something about the fever, but he had no clue as to its origin. If it had been caused by infection he could easily remedy it, but Arthur had not been injured in the past week and a half and the new wound hadn't had time to fester.

Arthur needed Gaius, but they were half a day's ride from Camelot and the horses were back at camp, almost a mile away. Without his supplies back at camp he could do little more for his friend. With a little magical help Merlin settled the prince over his shoulder and set off for their camp.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin was surprised that how good of time he had made get back. Twenty minutes, through the forest, with the dead weight of a full grown man to boot was amazing. Soon he had the leg bound and splinted, just in case, and he set to work trying to lower the fever that had spiked since the first time the warlock had noticed it.

After a quick examination Merlin found out that the prince had hidden swollen nodes in his neck which should have caused his throat to be incredibly painful, swollen joints that would have made the sword fight pure agony, and small blisters on his chest and back. Merlin remembered Gaius giving Arthur a salve for his itch a few days back, but surely Arthur would have mentioned the blisters, unless they formed during the hunt. Suddenly things that had happened over the past few days made even more sense. The grunts when getting up, the winces while eating, and the complaints about the roughness of the shirts. They were all signs that the prince was coming down with something, but they were the kind of things the clotpole did anyway.

Merlin had a limited knowledge of illnesses that were unrelated to injuries, so Merlin used what little he did know as best he could. He knew honey was used to keep infections at bay in wounds, so Merlin spread some over the cut on the prince's thigh before binding the wound up with the last of the bandages he had in his saddle bag. After some thought, Merlin mixed honey and water together and got the blond to drink it despite his lack of consciousness. If the honey water helped with the sickness, good, if it didn't, at least the sweet mixture would give the prat some energy.

After that there was nothing Merlin could do but wait. Merlin didn't know if it was a good idea to try to move Arthur while he was like this, and even if he managed to get him on the horse, he had nothing but magic to keep him there. If he hadn't drained himself with all that healing, he might have attempted it, but he was more than likely to pass out himself if he had to concentrate on keeping the royal on the horse as tired as he was right now. So he would wait. He and Arthur were due back in Camelot by sunset, so, Merlin just needed to keep Arthur from getting worse until Uther sent out a search party looking for them at dawn. Hopefully they would be found by midday. Hopefully.

~/\\\/\\\~

Around dusk Arthur woke and was delirious with the fever which had spiked yet again. In his panic he managed to rip off the splint and cause the cut to bleed heavily. He didn't seem to feel the fracture as he was soon on feet and threatening poor Merlin with his sword. How he got his hands on the sword the thin man was clueless. Merlin hadn't meant to doze off, but he had, and now Arthur was waving a sword at him and has going to hurt himself.

He tried talking to him but that only seemed to aggravate him worse. He tried everything he could think of shy of using magic, when the idea hit him. If Arthur remembered this and spoke of it later, the raven headed man would deny it, but right now he saw no other way. He was going to sing to the feverish prince. And not just any song, his secret song. His secret lullaby.

After trying to remember how the song started, Merlin began humming. He had never understood the first few word, so he skipped them and started where they did make sense. Softly he began to sing.

"My son, I have nothing I can give

But this chance that you may live

I pray, we'll meet again

If He will deliver us

Deliver us, hear our prayer

Deliver us from despair

These years of slavery grow

Too cruel to stand

Hush now, my baby

Be still, love, don't cry

Sleep as you're rocked by the stream

Sleep and remember my last lullaby

So I'll be with you when you dream"

By this point of the song Arthur allowed Merlin to get close to him.

"River, oh, river

Flow gently for me

Such precious cargo you bear

Do you know somewhere

He can be free?

River, deliver him there"

At this point, he had him seated by the fire and began tending the gash.

"Brother, you're safe now

And safe may you stay

For I have a prayer just for you

Grow, baby brother

Come back someday

Come and deliver us, too"

By the end of the song, Arthur had started to nod off, but as soon as Merlin stopped singing he began to panic again. So, Merlin sang it again and again until the blond was fast asleep. The fever was better, but not gone by midnight and Arthur was not sleeping soundly anymore. So Merlin hunkered down and resigned himself the humming and singing all night. At dawn Merlin fell asleep.

He dreamt about a dark haired woman with green eyes and little girl with brown eyes and blond hair holding the hand of a dark haired toddler. He saw them sing as he was sent off with a man on a horse. The man had dark eyes and black hair. He looked so sad. As the song faded, the man looked down at him and said, "We will see our family again, Emrys. I hope you will be able to forgive us for this. You are our hope for this land, my son. Always know that we love you…"

At this point Merlin was roused from his sleep by the sounds of horses. He quickly rushed to dowse what was left of their fire and hid Arthur as best he could with his bed roll and leaves, before picking up the prince's sword and hiding behind a tree to watch the path. A few moments later he was relieved to see the red cloaks of Camelot knights.

To get their attention he called out with the bird call that the knights use to signal each other. The horsemen stopped dead at the call and quickly dismounted and began searching for the source of the sound. Merlin came out of his hiding place and beckoned to the knights. At first they didn't recognize the servant, but as they came closer they knew they had found the prince. Because, where there was Arthur, Merlin was nearby. So if servant was here, so was the master.

~/\\\/\\\~

It was nearly sunset by the time they reached Camelot. Arthur was still sleeping feverishly and Merlin was barely able to stay his saddle he was so exhausted. In fact, the knight's took turns riding beside the gangly youth to make sure that he didn't fall and hurt himself. They had come across the corpses of the bandit on their way back to the city. I was clear to the trained eyes of the knights what had happened. This is why they were going to keep the boy from falling. He had saved the prince by killing the bandit and again by treating his injuries. So, by the time they reached the courtyard, the knights had decided who was going to carry the prince, who was going to report to the king, and who was going to help Merlin.

As Sir Oldof and Sir Osric carried Arthur to Gaius's chambers, Sir Edric rushed to inform the king of the events that had transpired. Sir Geraint had been the knight that knew Merlin the best, so he was in charge of seeing that Merlin ate and got some rest. Geraint had seen how devoted Merlin was to Arthur, despite the whole thing with that Cedric turning out to be the sorcerer Cornelius Sigan. If the boy could so easily forgive the royal he deserved to be looked out for.

The new Head Cook of Camelot was a woman to be reckoned, but even she could see that his boy was completely worn out. She had worked in the royal kitchens for years, so she knew all about the cheeky, back-talking lad that served the prince. She knew how he got the job and it was moments like this that she wondered how the poor boy was still alive. She had seen what the prince put him through.

On top of that, she saw how the boy had become the prince's taster ever since the poisoning during King Bayard's visit. Three time she had to have someone fetch Gaius because someone had tried to kill the prince. No one asked the boy to do it, but he did it anyway.

She knew the lad hardly had time to eat on most days and the food he tasted for poisons was often the only breakfast he ate. So when Sir Geraint brought him down to the kitchens she knew something had happened. As Merlin ate the food Audrey gave him, the knight told her what had happened.

At the end of the story the cook looked at the young man falling asleep at the table. There was something about that boy that gave her hope for the kingdom. Because with him there to guide Arthur, there was no way the prince would become the tyrant his father is. The lad was a good influence, and Audrey was determined to see that the boy lived long enough for that future to be born.

Shaking those thoughts from her mind she told the knight he had better get Merlin to his room before he fell asleep right there in her kitchens. She also sent a loaf of bread and some cheese with the knight to give to Gaius for Merlin to eat in the morning.

To say the knight was shocked to see the feared castle cook treat the skinny servant with such love would have been an understatement. She had given the boy the remainder of the King and Lady Morgana's dinner and had watched to make sure he ate every bit of it. The knight knew she would deny that whole thing happened by morning, but he had seen it. So when she told him to take Merlin to bed, he obeyed. This lad had people looking out for him, just like he looked out for the prince.

~/\\\/\\\~

By the time they reached the physician's chamber Merlin was leaning heavily on Geraint's arm. Coming through the door, the knight saw Gaius finish tying the dressing on the prince's leg. Without turning to see who came in, Gaius started talking to Merlin.

"You have learned more than I give you credit for, Merlin. Arthur's leg will heal fine as long as he stays off of it for a few weeks. Also, it is a good thing you told Sir Osric about Arthur's other symptoms. It seems he has an adult case of the Chicken pox. Have you ever…" He trailed off when he saw his ward nearly dead on his feet leaning on the arm of a knight. His eyes widened and he turned to Geraint. "What happened?"

Geraint smiled slightly and told Gaius all he knew about what had happened and where Merlin had been for the past half hour. Gaius ushered them towards Merlin's small room and instructed the knight to lay the exhausted boy on the bed.

The knight was shocked at how small the room really was. The bed was hard and small and the entire room was a mess. After looking a little harder he saw that this was the most organized mess he had even seen. The poor servant hardly had time to eat, let alone tidy his own chambers, so he did the next best thing. Orderly chaos.

Back out in the main chamber the knight and physician discussed the ordeal. Gaius caught Geraint up on the details of the prince's condition and then Geraint told Gaius about what appeared to have happened to the sleeping duo and about his talk with Audrey. As the blonde knight handed Gaius the package of bread and cheese, a smile showed on the elderly man's face.

~/\\\/\\\~

The next morning Merlin was stiff and sore, his throat hurt, and his head was begging for more sleep, but Merlin got up quickly and got ready to serve the prince. He was nearly dressed when he remembered past two days. He finished dressing and quietly entered the main room.

Arthur was sleeping in Gaius's bed and Gaius was asleep in the chair beside it. Arthur still had the sheen of sweat that showed that he still had that fever, but otherwise he looked much better than he had the day before. It was at that moment that his legs gave out on him and he crashed to the floor. Loudly.


	2. Siblings

Gaius was jolted awake by a crashing sound near his ward's chamber. The groan that followed prompted Gaius to investigate. He was only somewhat surprised to see Merlin looking dumbfounded at his long, lanky, lower limbs.

"Merlin? What on earth are you doing on the floor?" Gaius asked after it was clear that the boy had no plans of rising from his current position.

"Gaius, my legs feel like they are asleep, but there is a prickly, burning feeling around the back of my right knee… and everything hurts. Why does it hurt? Yeah I carried Arthur, but that was two days ago..." Merlin replied in dazed, gravelly voice as he began to scratch his back and shoulders.

"Here, my boy. Since Arthur is right here, you don't have anywhere you need to be, let me have a look at you." Gaius said as he carefully kneeled down beside his confused charge.

From his examination, Gaius was fairly sure that Merlin had the prodromal stages of the prince's illness. Seeing as how the two men spend the majority of their time together, that was hardly unexpected. Dosing the boy with a few tonics, the physician sent the lad back to bed hoping to nip the illness in the bud before it got too far.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin would have sworn he was dreaming if it hadn't been for the pain he was in. Outside of his chamber door he could hear his special song being hummed by a female voice.

Despite the pain Merlin got out of the bed and hobbled to his door. Opening it and peeking out, Merlin saw Morgana stroking Arthur's hair and humming.

"How do you know that tune?" Merlin asked in a croaky voice.

Morgana jumped in her fright. "Merlin! You startled me!" She looked over and saw how badly the servant looked. He was leaning heavily on the doorframe. He seemed to be shivering and his face was pinched in pain and confusion. "Here. Let help you down those steps."

Merlin allowed her to take some of his weight and keep him from falling over. Once he was settled on the bench by the table, Morgana answered his earlier question.

"I have known that melody since I was a young child. My mother and older sister used to sing it for my lost baby brother before they too were lost to me. His father took him when he was only a little over a year old. I was only three at the time. I barely remember the three of them..." She ended her explanation with a sigh.

"River, oh, river! Flow gently for me. Such precious cargo you bear. Do you know somewhere He can be free? River, deliver him there" Merlin sang softly.

Morgana's eyes grew wide. "How could you know tho… Oh Gods!"

She threw her arms around Merlin and hugged him tight.

~/\\\/\\\~

Long after Merlin and Arthur recovered something happened that shook Merlin and Morgana's world greater than finding out that they were half siblings.

Uther and Arthur were in the great hall knighting men as Knights of Camelot, when a mysterious warrior fought their way to the castle, easily taking down six knights and killing a handful of guards on the way to the Great Hall. The strange warrior came into the room and threw down their gauntlet, challenging Arthur. Arthur, ever the idiot, accepted. He then requested the warrior identify themself. The warrior removes their helmet, revealing themself to be a woman with long golden locks and rich brown eyes, calling herself Morgause.

Arthur did not want to fight a woman and since there were no rules against women challenging men, Arthur sent Merlin to talk the she-knight into backing out.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin knew Morgana thought she was familiar in some way, and Merlin could not help but think of how the lady warrior looked so much like his other sister from his dreamed memories. So, when Arthur sent him to talk to the woman, Merlin decided he would test and see if she was the young girl he remembered from his earliest memories.

Upon entering Morgause's chamber, Merlin was cornered with a sword by the very person he was to speak to.

"What do you want?"

"I have a message from Prince Arthur. He wants you to withdraw your challenge. Arthur has no desire to fight you. Now, if you withdraw, he will grant you safe passage through the kingdom. Leave now, while you still can."

"If Arthur has no desire to fight me, perhaps he should withdraw."

"No. He'll, he'll never do that. It's not in him to withdraw."

"Then we have that in common."

"If you fight him, he will have to treat you as he does any other opponent. It won't matter that you're a woman."

"I do not ask for special treatment."

"Arthur has no quarrel with you. Why would you challenge him?"

"My reasons are not your concern."

"Don't put Arthur in a position where he's forced to kill you."

"Who's to say Arthur's life won't rest in my hands?"

The entire conversation was nerve racking for Merlin. Even her voice was like the one who sang that last verse of his secret song.

Taking a deep breath Merlin sang is a voice just barely loud enough for the woman to hear him.

"Brother, you're safe now

And safe may you stay

For I have a prayer just for you

Grow, baby brother

Come back someday

Come and deliver us, too"

At the end, he peaked up to see the dumbstruck look on her tanned face.

"Boy. Tell me, how did you come to hear that song and how did you know I would also know it?" Her voice had a dangerous feel to it.

"I have known it for as long as I can remember. It was sung to me as my father rode off with me leaving my mother and two sisters behind. The older sister sang that last bit. She had blond hair and nut brown eyes much like yours." He replied while wringing his hands.

"If that is so, what were the first words of the lullaby?"

"The ones in English or the others?"

At this question Morgause's eyes began to water.

"I have one more question. What is your name?"

"I am called Merlin, but I remember my father once calling me Emrys."

A single tear ran down Morgause's cheek.

"All this time I thought the two of you were dead. Why did Balinor change your name?"

"Balinor? Is that what his name was?"

"How do you not know your own father's name?"

"He left me with a woman in a town on the Camelot and Essetir border. I have only two memories of him."

"I am surprised you remember any of it. You were fourteen month old when the two of you left. Our mother was forced to flee not long after when Uther sent his men to find Balinor and I was sent back to the women that raised me."

"That must be why Morgana barely remember us."

"She knows who you are? Does she know who I am?"

"She says you seem familiar, but she cannot place were."

"Good. If I fail tomorrow, I do not wish to add to her pain. It is late. You should return home."

"Good night, milady."

"Peaceful dreams, brother."


	3. Queen

The duel was fought the next day. Arthur had the upper hand early on, wounding Morgause on the arm, but she eventually overwhelmed him. She gave Arthur a reprieve after she left him lying on the ground with her sword aimed at his heart. She asked in return for sparing his life, only for him to meet her outside Camelot in three days time and accept whatever challenge she lays down. Arthur agreed, reluctantly.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause was conflicted. After she had let Merlin tend her arm, she realized that her plan of using Arthur to kill Uther would be complicated because of her siblings. Morgana thought of Uther as father figure and Arthur as her brother. Merlin was Arthur's manservant and friend and would do whatever he needed to to help the prince. Thus, Merlin would never allow the prince to kill the king. So, she would have to disprove the tyrant's view of magic in the prince's mind. She would still let him know about how he was born, but tell him in a way that he realizes Magic isn't evil and he doesn't try to kill Uther. Merlin would never let things go that far.

She smiled when she realized that she could read her family so easily now that she knew how to look.

Well, she had three days until she was to meet the prince, with Merlin in tow no doubt, so that was how long she had to figure out how to fix the mess she had gotten herself into. Sighing she continued to prepare her horse to leave. The prince showing up was fortuitous, because she needed to enchant his horse so that they could meet in a few days. As she talked to the prince, a plan formed in her mind.

~/\\\/\\\~

She had planned on using Igraine's spirit to tell Arthur how he had come to be, but in her search for the late queen, Morgause found someone even better. Nimueh. That witch had caused all this pain and persecution. She had had been the reason Morgause had missed her siblings growing up, why their mother had disappeared without a trace, why Merlin and Morgana lived in constant fear of discovery. Nimueh had much to atone for, and Morgause planned to know everything before the Prince arrived.

~/\\\/\\\~

As Morgause had expected, her baby brother with the prince. And she was glad she had changed her tactics so that this did not interfere with her main plan of testing the prince's integrity. This was going to be interesting.

"Prince Arthur. By this time I am sure your father had told you of my other talent?" She made a point of not looking at her brother.

Arthur nodded. "He has."

"Yet you still came. Why?" She saw Merlin fidgeting in the edge of her vision.

"I gave my word and my word is my bond."

"So you would do anything I asked of you, as you promised?" She asked, truly curious.

"Within reason. I will not murder for you or give up Camelot's secrets. There may be other things I would refuse, but you would only prove my father right by asking them of me." Merlin fidgeting in the edge of his vision had made Arthur realize there were limits to what he would do to learn about his mother.

"Well said young prince. But what if I asked for your deepest secret? What then? Or your biggest fear? Would you answer those, as they could be used to weaken Camelot?" She knew the answer, she just wanted him to say it out loud. She thought he would say it would prove her evilness, but she was mistaken.

"Yes I would tell you. They are things I have come to terms with, so they would not cause harm to come to Camelot." Arthur stood perfectly straight as he said this.

Morgause saw the sad smile on her brother's face. Merlin clearly understood something she did not.

Morgause had planned on asking something else, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Your reply intrigues me, young prince. Because of this, I ask for your greatest fear." Morgause replied cooly, but the sad look Merlin had sent her set her nerves on edge.

"My Worst fear is that I am the cause of all the misery around me." Arthur answered her in a resigned tone.

Morgause had not expected that at all and it played right into her plan. "Why do you fear it is your fault? You were but an infant when the injustice began."

Arthur met her gaze, and she saw the deep pain that resided there. "Because the anniversary of my birth falls on the same day as that of my mother's death and is only a month from the anniversary of the beginning of the Purge. It is my fear that my birth killed my mother and led to the mass murder of children."

Despite herself, Morgause felt immense pity for the blond boy. An Idea suddenly came to her. It would weaken her greatly, but if it eased the prince's soul, then it would be well worth it.

"I have some people I want you to meet, but first, I needed your word. What I need to do to summon them will use a great deal of my energy, swear to me you will do me no harm during that time." She stared into the prince's eyes as she said this and the look he returned lifted her spirits greatly.

"I will see that you are not harmed this day. Who is it I am to meet?" Arthur sounded so somber, that Morgause gave him one hint.

"I am going to let you meet the reasons you exist." Merlin's eyes widened in panic while Arthur just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"Morgause, you cannot summon two spirits at once! It will kill you!" Merlin's voice was sharp with fear in her mind.

"One of the spirits is Nimueh, she will help me. I will be fine brother, trust me." Was her projected reply.

"I killed her. She may not help if I am there. Or she might just tell Arthur about me. Is there no way for me to help?" He was worried and his mental voice reflected that.

"You killed her? She refused to tell me how she died. You are still just a boy, you should not have the burden of such power so young." She was stunned by this revelation.

"Morgause, I have been using magic for longer than I can remember. Hunith, the woman who raised me, said I had used it the first time she held me. The Great Dragon says I am a creature of magic, that it flows through my body like blood. I have never known anything different." His voice was laced so heavily with honesty, that the witch nearly cried for her brother's great burden.

Only Emrys was that powerful. And that meant that her baby brother was destined to live forever, waiting on the return of the other half of his soul. The Once and Future King.

Morgause's heart broke for the two boys behind her. One was the most powerful creature to ever walk the earth. The other was destined to overturn his father's legacy, only to die and be brought back in Albion's darkest hour. Neither knew what it was like to just be a child. She too had had her childhood taken from her, and she would wish it on no one.

"If you wish to lend me energy or power so not to rely on the high priestess, I will gladly accept. But I will not let you give too much. You are my little brother, it is my job to see that you don't get hurt." Morgause's barely managed to sound authoritative instead of utterly protective.

"Brothers are meant to protect their sisters as well. As for injuries, Nimueh paid the price for hurting those I love, but I also bare the marks of rash decisions. I would be nothing if I had no one to protect. I grew up protecting Hunith. Now I protect Gaius, Arthur, Morgana, and you. Please don't try to stop me. I will win that fight." Morgause wanted to hug the boy.

No one had ever offered to protect her. She had never needed it, but it warmed her heart to hear her brother say those words. No one was hurting her baby brother tonight. Not even Nimueh.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin had been right. No sooner did Nimueh see Merlin then she pulled her power back. The prince was too busy hugging the shade of his mother to notice his manservant's eyes flash bright gold.

When Merlin gave her access to his magic, Morgause felt tiny. She had alway thought herself powerful, but she was nothing in light of her brother. Her vast lake of magical energy, was a small puddle beside his ocean. She could raise an army with his power, but such thoughts would never make their way through his mind.

Morgause was so caught up in her musing that she nearly missed the glares between Emrys and the Keeper of the Isle of the Blessed. "Behave Nimueh, or I will send you back and then you will never get to set the records straight."

Nimueh gave the blond witch a pointed look before interrupting the royal reunion.

"Ygraine, we are here to talk, not doting on someone you have never met. The soon this is over, the sooner I can return to my eternal rest." Nimueh dragged the spirit of the late queen to a set of five chairs to the side of the altar they had been summoned with.

"I see someone finally got the better of you, Cousin. Did your plan work? Did Arthur gain magic when I died? No? I thought not. Now, I personally want to hear what has happened since I died. And remember Nim, I still outrank you." the mouths of the living fell open at the dead queen's statements.

Morgause quickly explained about the Purge and Uther's way of raising Arthur. At the end, the Queen was livid.

"That stubborn Idiot! I told him The the price of gaining something precious and something equally so would be taken. Did the man listen? No! He passes it off as pregnant ranting and then kills thousands when he realized his mistake!" Turning to Merlin the Queen asks, "Arthur isn't as thick as Uther is he?"

Wide eyed, Merlin replied, "Sometimes he is worse."

The Queen sighed. "Bless the poor woman he ends up with…" She paused for a moment to think. "I have another question. With my husband being his stupid self, how did Arthur gain such a devoted friend?"

As the boys opened their mouth to contradict her, Ygraine cut them off. "Don't deny it. It is as clear as polished crystal. If the boy wasn't dresses as a peasant, I would have thought he was one of Uther's by-blows. You two are as close as brothers."

As the boys looked as if they were impersonating a pair of fish, Morgause finally found her voice. "By-blows? Before Arthur was born? Did any of them survive?"

The queen looked at the blonde sadly before replying. "Only one of the women he bedded ever gave birth. If you had been born light eyed and dark haired, everyone would have thought you one of his. But you have the likeness of your actual father. Vivienne fell pregnant again not long before Arthur here was born. Gorlois had not been home in months when it happened. If that baby survived, it was definitely Uther's."

"Morgana!" Merlin and Morgause gasped in unison.

Arthur's eyes nearly fell from their sockets. "Oh hell… Now I understand why he took her in and not the others… That bloody hypocrite!"

"Calm down, my son. I asked it of him. If he could father a child with another woman, I told him I would raise it as my own and call it heir to the throne. He thought himself cursed when all the infants died before birth. That is why he turned to Nimueh." The queen then allowed the Priestess her turn and sat back to watch.


	4. Sorceresses

Nimueh stood in the middle of the room so that she was the center of attention, which received rolled eyes from the late queen. She held herself vainly, even more than Morgana on her birthday.

" _This is how it is done, Merlin. Just be glad my goal is to clear my name, not take revenge. Count your blessings boy_." She was positively smirking at him.

" _You are the one who is dead. Also, if you try hurting Morgause like that again, you will wish we had allowed you to stay dead. No one hurts my family and lives to try again_." Merlin did nothing but shift ever so slightly towards his sister.

As the the smug look slipped from the late high priestess's face, the the blonde women looked at the raven haired boy with raised eyebrows. Before any of them could comment, Nimueh spoke.

"At an early age, the Old Religion blessed me with the gift to use it's wonders. I was then raised by the High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess. I gained my Priesthood in my adolescence. That was before the Roman invasion of Albion." At this point, she leered at Arthur, which worried Merlin and Ygraine.

"The Romans conquered this land over 300 years ago. Do you expect me to believe you are that old. My mother called you 'cousin' which means that she and you share blood. Family lines fade with time. How can you expect me to accept this as fact?" Arthur's voice was firm and mildly cold.

Nimueh smirked. "My father was of the house of Aurelianus. The house became De Bois when the Roman's invaded. The house is an important one in the Old Religion. It is said to be the house from which the Once and Future King would be born. Because of this, it was to be preserved at all costs."

"Ah! So that is why helped Uther become King! You wanted a de Bois to become royalty! So one of my descendants will be the uniter of Albion?" The dead queen was now sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Could this king not come from Uncle Agravaine's children? He could still father offspring." Nimueh and Ygraine's eyes met and the blonde nodded.

"Agravaine does not share the de Bois bloodline. He is just as much Morgause's uncle as he is yours. And Tristaine was rendered unable to sire an heir due to a childhood illness. Ygraine was the last of the true de Bois line. Her child had to survive, no matter the cost. By making sure it was her life taken instead of Uther's, I believed I could endow the babe with magic. I was wrong and thousands of followers of the old ways paid the price for my sin." Nimueh returned to her seat and sat there stoned faced.

Morgause attempted to stand, but the drain of the spell caused her to stumble. The High Priestess was the only one who did not look concerned for the witch.

"Nim has said her part. Send her back. Save your energy." Ygraine looked worried.

Nimueh huffed in amusement. "She has all the magic she could ever wish for within her reach, but instead of using it, she relies on my killer's limited access."

Morgause's eye glowed and Nimueh began to fade with a smirk on her face, but the smug look was quickly replaced with fear and pain. Before she fully vanished she screamed in pure agony.

The past queen looked quite shaken. "What did you do to her?"

Morgause gave a weak smile. "I sent her to the Cailleach. She will be punished appropriately before her soul is released back into Avalon. By dying the way she did, she escaped all that waited for her in the afterlife. I would have returned her to where I found her, but she broke our deal. She deserves to be punished."

It took all of Merlin's willpower not to run to his sister and make sure she was alright. "Merlin, check on Morgause. I need to speak with my mother and I cannot do that if she disappears if Morgause passes out."

Merlin didn't need to be told twice.

As the royalty watched the siblings, Ygaine spoke softly to her son so the other two could not hear. "My sweet boy. I cannot stay long. Holding me in this world is slowly killing her. When I am gone, remember, do not take revenge on your father. Also, show affection to those around you. That boy clearly cares about you. Be the son I always knew you would be. True-hearted and fair. Good bye my child."

Ygraine kissed Arthur on the forehead and walked over to the siblings. Just as softly as she had talked to Arthur, she spoke to the pair. "Take care of my son. And do not fear for your brother, my dear. I will take my knowledge to the Avalon. It is time, let me return there."

Morgause blinked in surprise before nodding her understanding. Merlin had a terrified look in his eyes, but he too nodded ever so slightly. Smiling, the late Queen of Camelot returned to the center of the room and smiled lovingly at her child. with a flash of golden irises, she faded.

As soon as she felt her hold on the queen's soul disappear, Morgause unlinked her and Merlin's magic. She was fine for a few moments before collapsing with exhaustion. She was still conscious, but barely. She heard Merlin's worried calls before being lifted and carried, not long later, she felt herself being gently laid on something warm and soft.

"She knew this would happen. That is why she made me give my word. Right now, she is completely defenceless." The prince's voice sounded sad and defeated.

"None of it was your fault. You can't keep blaming yourself for everything." Despite the calm and comforting tone, Morgause could feel the worry radiating from her brother.

"Will she be alright?" The boy was clearly avoiding his problems.

"She exhausted herself with the spell. With proper rest, she should be fine." Her brother sounded hopeful, as if he was purely guessing.

"Good… Good. I will go tend to the horses. We leave as soon as she wakes." The prince was clearly shaken.

As the sound of footsteps faded, the witch felt someone sit beside her on the bed. "I know you are still conscious. Go to sleep Morgause, please. You need the rest."

As she attempted to shut down her mind and fall into slumber, she heard humming. At first, she didn't recognise it, but then she remembered. It was the beginning of their mother's song. moments after Merlin began to sing softly, she felt her senses faade and a warmth engulf her. In mere moments, she was in a deep restorative slumber while slowly being fed magic by her worried little brother.

~/\\\/\\\~

Arthur was anxious and full of energy. He wanted to rush back to Camelot and confront his father, despite his mother's words. But as he watched Merlin, he realized that would end badly. The boy had been charged with magic in the past and now, he was hovering worriedly by the sleeping witch.

The prince wasn't sure if it was worry for the woman or worry about information they had gained from the spirits. The one thing he did know, was that if his confrontation with his father went badly, Merlin would likely be the one to pay the price.

That was something Arthur couldn't allow. Merlin wore his heart on his sleeve, and letting all of this fall on him, it would destroy a good soul. So, he would wait and think this through, like his mother wanted.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin was a very dedicated brother, or at least he was in Morgause's eyes. She had woke many times during the night, unable to move or open her eyes, but he seemed to know that and would hum or sing her back to sleep with that warm feeling. She thought he might be using magic, but it felt different than any she had ever felt.

It was nearly midmorning when she managed to pry her eyes open and shift slightly. There was a blurry form in front of her, but she couldn't tell who until blinked the sleep out of her eye. It was the prince who greeted her awakening, not her brother.

She was worried for a moment before she heard sleep mumblings coming from a few feet away. She let her eyes wander from the prince to the sleeping form on the floor. Arthur must have seen the the confusion on her face, because the second she focused on her thin, sleeping baby brother, he began to speak.

"He stayed up all night checking on you. I think he took his physician training too far, but you are awake so it no longer matters." The prince looked fondly at the sleeping raven-haired lad.

"You care about him." Morgause was still somewhat surprised, despite Ygraine's words the day before.

Arthur sighed, staring at Merlin. "He was the first person to see me as person and not just the prince. He treated me like he would anyone else. He also stood up for himself, knowing what I could do to him. And then, after how badly I had treated him, he saved my life. When I asked him why, he told he did it because it was the right thing to do."

Morgause just laid there, waiting for the prince to continue. From that spot, she could see the tears forming in the boy's eyes. As if he knew she had sighted them, Arthur wiped the moisture away with his thumb.

"Merlin is the only friend I have ever known, other than Morgana, and I do not know how to show that I care without my father sending him away of killing him. He wouldn't be the first servant my father hung for 'bewitching' me. I can't watch that happen again." There was so much repressed pain in his voice.

"Your father kills people who threaten his way of doing things, Prince Arthur. First the rulers of Camelot before him, then those with magic, now it is who ever he wants. He has become a tyrant. He will destroy anyone who stands against him." Morgause put a little too much venom in her tone which lead to the prince's sapphire eyes boring into her deep brown ones.

"Even if that person means the world to him?" Morgause was not sure if the boy was referring to Ygraine or himself.

"Has he ever threatened you like that?" She doubted Uther would alienate his own son in such a way. But much to her surprise, Arthur averted his eyes and nodded.

"He never threatened my life, just that of those around me or promises to lock me away or banish me to some lord's fort. When I was eight, I tried to protect my tutor from him. I was forced to watch the man whipped to death and then I was made the squire of the cruelest knight in the garrison. If I hadn't been the prince, I believe I would have died under his ' _care_ '. There was pure disgust in the boy's voice when he said 'care'.

Morgause felt only a spark of pity before a plan formed in her mind. "Does a man who would do that to his own son deserve to sit on the throne and rule the lives of thousands? He deserves-"

She was cut off by her now wide awake little brother. "Our pity. Uther deserves our pity."

Both blondes turned to the sleep-tousled boy with abashed faces. "Don't look at me like that. Morgause, shame on you trying to turn Arthur against his father. And Arthur, Gaius had already told me that story."

Merlin stood up and began packing up the bed rolls. "Now that we are all awake, the two of us need to get back to Camelot before your father gets mad enough to chop my head off."

Merlin looked sheepish when he saw the color leave both Arthur's and Morgause's faces. "If we kill a deer on the way back we can say we were hunting to prove your skills after a woman bested you in combat. Your father should buy that, right?"

Arthur took that moment to put his princely facade back in place. "That sounds fine,  _Mer_ lin. And since this was entirely your idea, you should have ne trouble being quiet?"

Merlin grinned widely in response and Morgause saw the same side of the pair that the late queen had pointed out. These two were brothers in all but blood.


	5. Freya

At noon, the pair set off back to Camelot. The minimal sleep and sharing of magic left Merlin drowsy and Merlin's near nodding off worried Arthur more than he cared to admit. It was because of that that Arthur stopped as the sun began to set, instead of pushing through the night to arrive in the city by dawn.

Arthur had already shot two deer with a crossbow that Arthur did not recall being attached to Merlin's saddle when they left Camelot the day before. So that night, the two feasted on fresh venison and berries. It did not surprise the prince when Merlin passed out in middle of putting a blackberry into his mouth.

Arthur smiled at the toddlerness of Merlin's meal napping. The boy looked so young and innocent curled up asleep with berry juice staining his face and fingers. The prince couldn't help but chuckle at the sight as he draped a blanket over the servant. Merlin was a servant and not one at the same time.

As with everything else, the boy was more than he seemed at first glance. Merlin looked child-like and carefree, but Arthur knew that he had faced death and hardships in his short life. Merlin seemed witless and idiotic, but yet he always knew things and spoke wisely when needed. Merlin was the very embodiment of an oxymoron.

~/\\\/\\\~

Uther seemed to buy the story about Hunting when they returned with the deer, but he still harshly berated his son for sneaking off. The two seemed at odds for the rest of the day before the king apologized and blamed worry for his sharp words. Arthur made a show of accepting the apology before saying one of his own.

That night, Arthur thought about the fact that he had a sister and that he shared the title of Morgana's sibling with Morgause. Should he tell her that they shared a father? How would she react to the fact that Gorlois hadn't been her real father and that Uther refused to acknowledge her as his child? What would she do upon finding out that she now had a brother and a sister?

~/\\\/\\\~

Unbenounced to the prince, Merlin was currently telling his sister about what had happened over the last week. Morgana had been so happy to hear that the reason Morgause seemed familiar was because she was family. Finding out about Uther was another thing entirely.

At first she adamantly denied the possibility. Then the pieces came together in her mind. She ended up crying in Merlin's arms until she fell asleep.

Merlin placed a mild sleeping spell on her to allow her to rest without intruding nightmares. He knew she would be fine, but he wished the truth wasn't always so painful. When he left, he snuffed all of the candles with his magic and shut the door.

On his way to bed, he stopped to check on Arthur. Merlin found his master asleep at his desk, snoring into some parchment. He managed to rouse the prince enough to get him to bed, but not fully wake him. Merlin smiled as his half-sister's, half-brother snuggled into the sheets. That was when it hit him. Arthur was now, in a sense, his brother.

Merlin had always wanted siblings. Will had been the only child in Ealdor who hadn't had a brother or sister. They had all but adopted each other as their sibling, but what he shared with Arthur was deeper than what him and his childhood friend has once shared.

Merlin fell asleep with a smile on his face. For so long it had just been him and Hunith. Now, he had two sisters that he cared a great deal for, Gaius whom he loved like a father, and now he had Arthur too. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this content.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgana managed to keep the fact she was royalty to herself, but it hadn't been easy. She wanted to yell and scream at Uther for having never told them she was his. She also wanted to sit down and talk with Arthur. He had been like a brother to her since she had come to live in Camelot when she was nine, but now he really was related.

She wanted to tell him about Morgause and Merlin. She wanted him to feel the happiness she felt when she was around Merlin, knowing what he was to her. But she contained herself and acted none the wiser.

~/\\\/\\\~

After she regained her strength, Morgause returned to Camelot and met with her brother. They met every night in the lower town and talked. One night, he didn't show up. She wasted no time in searching him out.

When she found him, he was with a girl about his age. She had dark hair and eyes, was dressed in rags, and look frightened. One look at her brother told her all she needed to know. He was smitten.

Morgause took a step back and softly called out to Merlin before stepping back into sight. The girl was terrified and the boy positioned himself in front of her for protection. When he saw who it was he relaxed slightly.

"Morgause, what are you doing here?" He was clearly trying be strong for the poor slip behind him.

"You didn't meet me. I was worried something had happened. There is bounty hunter in the lower town." The witch didn't miss the whimper from the girl or the panicked look in her baby brother's eyes.

"You rescued her from him, didn't you." She wasn't sure if she should be proud or dismayed.

The girl's breathing was panicked and Morgause realized why he had done it. She smiled softly at the pair and crept forward a bit. "This is not the best place to hide someone baby brother. How are you planning to care for her without anyone noticing? Uther will have all of his men out searching for her."

Merlin's shoulders slumped and he gave the saddest eyes she had ever seen. "I couldn't just leave her in that cage. When I saw her, I knew what I needed to do. It could have been me, or even you, in there. I had to."

She reached out and squeezed his arm. "I understand. But she can't stay in the city, it isn't safe. I will stay with her. Go tell Morgana. She can get you some food and a dress for your friend. She will be harder to recognize that way."

He looked back at the girl and gave her a smile. "My sister is right. She won't let anything happen to you. Trust her. I'll be back soon."

Once Merlin was gone, she knelt down and tried to calm the the frightened young woman. "You are safe with us. I promise, I will do everything in my power to help you. What is your name?"

The girl finally met her gaze. "Freya."

Morgause smiled. "Hello Freya, my name is Morgause. Did Merlin wrap those?" She pointed to the rags wound around the her wrists. The maiden nodded. "May I look at them?"

The girl seemed hesitant. "I might be able to heal them. But I have to look at them first. I don't even have to touch them."

After a moment, she held out her arms. Morgause carefully unwrapped the remnants of the old dress from the joints. The damage wasn't bad. It was almost as if the she hadn't struggled at all in the shackles she had been locked in. "How did Halig catch you?"

The girl jerked back and curled in on herself. Tears formed in the child's eyes and she started hyperventilating. "Freya, I am sorry. I didn't… I just wanted to make sure you weren't placed out there to catch people like my brother. People who are willing to help those with magic. I'm sorry. It is alright. You don't have to answer. You don't have to be scared any more. You're safe."

It was barely more than a whisper, but the blonde heard the girl say "But you aren't." Morgause's heart fell. The child was afraid of herself. She hadn't fought because she felt she deserved to die.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause had tried, she truly had, but it hadn't been enough. They had fed her and disguised her, but when Freya turned into the beast, there was nothing they could do. The fact that it had been the prince who dealt the killing blow had been just as hard to deal with as her little brother crying over the girl's corpse at the edge of Lake Avalon.

How do you comfort someone who just lost someone they loved? They may have only known each other for a couple of days, but their feelings were clear to see. She reached out to let Merlin know she was there when he laid the lifeless form of Freya on the pebbly beach and set to work.

Morgause shrank back into the tree line and watched as her brother set up one of the most beautiful funerals she had ever seen. The girl looked happy as the man who loved her pushed the flower filled funerary boat out into the water as the birds sang a dirge. The witch nearly collapsed at the pure, undiluted grief and magic in the air as Merlin ignited the barge.

As the boy stood on the bank crying, Morgause left her hiding spot and pulled her sibling to her chest. It was midmorning by the time his thin body stopped its mournful shaking. The sadness in his eyes as he looked at her, made the blonde feel completely inadequate as the oldest child. She could only offer him time to heal.

She spirited him back to Camelot and left him in Morgana's care. The girl took the duty of helping to heart and seemed to do a fine job of comforting him. If anyone wondered why the king's ward spent the day rocking a weeping serving boy, no one commented, not even Arthur.


	6. Coping

In Arthur's eyes, Merlin was unique. Not many men could go from a crying mess one night to a grinning cheerful person by dawn. Whatever happened the previous evening had to have been fairly bad if he had ended up in Morgana's arms.

He had once thought Merlin was sweet on his half sister, but what he saw last night was more than a friendship but not at all romantic. Merlin had been the picture of despair and now, the lad was the definition of joy. It was uncanny and clearly thanks to Morgana.

~/\\\/\\\~

The king's ward could hardly believe how gullible the people around her were. Merlin was clearly still in pain, but his plastered-on smile seemed to have them all fooled. Well, everyone but Gwen, bless her.

That girl was a godsend. She would cover for poor Merlin when he couldn't fake the happiness. She knew something had happened, but she had waited until the boy had collected himself and returned to work before asking her mistress what had happened. Morgana didn't go into details, she just told the facts, Merlin had lost his sweetheart and had sought out a loving figure for comfort.

Gwen made a comment about Merlin mistaking her for Hunith in his sadness, but otherwise stayed quiet about the whole thing. Even when Merlin's visits became a nightly occurrence, the maid never said a word, but her smile said everything. And for that, the siblings were immensely grateful.

~/\\\/\\\~

It didn't take a genius to realize that the two were siblings, just someone with a younger brother. She had been the one to comfort her brother, Elyan, when their mother died. She hadn't been completely stable herself, but she was better off than their father, so she did what she could. She saw the signs, and it was clear to her that Merlin was Morgana's Elyan.

She didn't understand how it was possible for them to be related like that, but they were. Her original theory had been that Lady Vivian hadn't died, but had run and hidden in Ealdor. But that couldn't be as Uther hadn't recognized her when she came asking for help against the raiders. The only other explanation was that Hunith wasn't Merlin's mother, but that made as little sense as her first thought.

But none of that really mattered. The two were family and they clearly knew it. How they were managing to live the way they were astounded Gwen. Merlin didn't seem to feel that he deserved better treatment, but it was clear Morgana thought he did. None of Arthur's other manservants had been treated so well, yet Morgana still complained of his treatment.

A week ago, Gwen would have wrote it off as Morgana needling the prince, but now, she understood. That was why she did Merlin's chores when Merlin would break down in tears. Arthur didn't seem to notice the sadness and had given the boy more tasks than he should have been able to finish in a single day.

Her curiosity finally got the better of her the third time she found Merlin curled up in Morgana's arms weeping. What could possibly have broken him? So she asked.

Her heart ached when she found out the girl Merlin loved had been killed. My ladyship hadn't said the word killed, but the implication was clear. But had the girl been mauled by the beast or had something else entirely done her in? She knew better than to ask, but the smile that came to her face when she saw them together, that needed no explanation.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin couldn't understand it. They hadn't even known each other long, but now that she was gone, it felt like a part of him had been ripped out. Morgana and Morgause helped as best they could. Gwen had realized how much he needed a break, so she had been helping when he lost his grip on the 'I'm happy facade' and ran to Morgana.

Gaius had figured out the night before Freya died what he had done. When the news that the beast had been killed reached him, he had removed his chores from Merlin workload, but had yet to say anything. But his pity was clear.

~/\\\/\\\~

Uther was no fool. The first time he saw the boy, he knew who he was. When the woman claiming to be the boy's mother showed up, he had questioned himself. But after seeing how Morgana looked at the lad, he knew his original theory had been correct.

Vivienne had always had a place in his heart, but after Morgana's birth, they had moved apart. It was in those first few years of the purge that he heard that she was once again with child. The father was clearly not Gorlois, as the king had made sure to keep him from home since the last month of the lady's last pregnancy.

It was later claimed that the report was false, but that was after she was due to deliver. He had send men to Tintagel a little over a year later, but the men reported back that Vivienne was alone with a dark haired toddler. Uther had assumed the child had died like the woman's first child, but he had recently learned that girl had survived as well.

But who was the boy's father? Surely the lady had better sense than to bed that Dragonlord. Uther had to sit down when he realized how well the timing fit. Serving the Crown Prince of Camelot was the son of Lady Vivienne Le Fay, Duchess of of Cornwall and Balinor Wyllt of the Ambrosius Dragonlords.

Did the boy know who he was? Surely not. Why would he continue to degrade himself by doing such demeaning tasks as scrubbing floors, washing undergarments, and cleaning up after the horses. But then again, the boy did have a mental deficiency.

Uther spent the next few days inwardly justifying Merlin's continued servitude and his heritage. Uther finally concluded that Merlin only knew of his family on his mother's side and knew nothing of the Wyllt family. The sad thing was, Uther was completely right.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause felt useless. She couldn't venture into the citadel to see Merlin, who hadn't come to see her since the night he had met that cursed druid girl Freya. She understood that he was hurting, but she couldn't provide comfort for him.

She had thought about going to Ealdor and bringing the woman who had raised him back to help, but the poor woman wouldn't even know who she was. She had thought about tracking down the woman who had cursed Freya and bring her to justice for the girl's death and her baby brother's broken heart, but she didn't have enough information for that. In the end, she settled on tracking down Balinor.

If anyone knew how to help handle losing a loved one, it was him. She just need to find him. She knew it would take time, but now that she was no longer trying to destroy Uther and Merlin and Morgana were occupied, she needed something to do.


	7. Father

There were benefits and drawbacks of living in the same place for 15 years. You got to know the area and everything that lived in it, but it also meant others knew you lived there as well. Sure, the village folk only knew the general direction he lived in, but that was enough.

He rarely had people wander into his cave, but those who did fell into two distinct groups: Those who were lost and those searching for him. Sometime those looking for him only did so for innocent reasons such as herbs or help for an injured loved one. Those he was fine with. Then there were those looking for Balinor by name.

Few people knew his name as most knew better than to ask. Those who did know were either incredibly trustworthy or the exact opposite. But today, he had someone ask for him in a way he never imagined. By description.

Who ever the mystery woman was, she knew details about him's looks that most would never notice. He had been warned about her by the women he had helped over the years that his pursuer had been given his location by one of the seedier people in the village. Neither fact settled well with the Dragonlord.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause felt uneasy about how easy it had been for her to locate her brother's father. For a man who knew the need to hide, he had done a poor job of it. She had tracked him effortlessly to the village of Enged. From there she asked around until a vile man attempted to take advantage of her. After she broke his arm, he quickly told her what she wanted to know.

Once she knew where to look, she easily found Balinor's cave. She was saddened by the sight of his meager home. Her memories of the man were of a powerful Lord who cared for anyone he met. He was a lot like Merlin in that respect. She just hoped he was still like the kindhearted man she used to know.

~/\\\/\\\~

It was a feeling more than anything else that let him know there was someone in his home. He hadn't seen any tracks or heard any noise, but his limited magic seemed rise as he approached. Nimueh used to cause him to feel like this, but she was gone. He had felt her pass on. This was someone new.

He took the secret entrance he had crafted to emerge from the backside of the cavern. There was enough light to see the woman standing in the room with her back to him. She had trousers that showed at the hem of her black cloak. Her pale hair was loosely pulled back.

Before he could decide what to do, she spoke. "Hello, Balinor. It has been a very long time."

As the turned to face his, he saw her dark eyes. They were so familiar, but he couldn't place them.

"You have let yourself go. You used to take pride in your looks, hair especially. I remember how honoured I was when you let me touch it. Though, I think mother would like it as it is now. She always liked it on the messy side."

And just like that it struck him. "Morgause? How…? Why…?"

She smirked. "It wasn't hard to find you. How Uther's men haven't managed it is beyond me. You should be more careful."

He narrowed his eyes as he walked towards her. "Why are you here Morgause?"

An odd look briefly shifted across her face before she responded. "I am here about Emrys, or as he knows himself, Merlin."

His dragon fueled protective instincts caused anger to flood him. "I don't know how you got that name, but I will not tell you where he is. His is safe there."

"Merlin has lived in Camelot as Prince Arthur's personal servant for over a year. He grew up in a village known as Ealdor with a woman named Hunith. He is now known as Gaius's ward. He sees his sister Morgana daily and for the past few months, we saw each other every night until two weeks ago."

His anger had melted into worry as she had spoke, and now he was highly concerned. "What happened?"

There was moisture in her eyes as she locked them onto his. "He fell in love only to lose her."

His unease turned to pity. He understood how that felt. He had lost his soulmate, his family, and his friends. His heart went out to his little boy. Losing the one you love is one of the most painful things in life and wished Emrys had never needed to feel it.

"He needs his father." Morgause didn't look like the high priestess he knew she was, she looked like a worried big sister who didn't know what to do.

"If Uther recognizes me, he will lose someone else to death." The sorceress's eyes took on a daring look.

"Then it is a good thing you look nothing like a powerful noble. Besides, there is a dragon in Camelot that likely would want a word with his lord." Balinor, The last Dragonlord, Father of Emrys, and Sire of Magic, gulped.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgana and Gwen were glad that Merlin's breakdowns were getting fewer and further between, but they were still worried about him. He was working himself into exhaustion, barely sleeping, and hardly eating. It had gotten so far that even Arthur had commented on it.

Mourning was one thing, but this was unhealthy. They didn't know what to do. Gaius had told them that he had tried talking to the boy, but he had been avoided ever since. Arthur would be no help with emotional stuff, so he was told nothing.

Morgana was at her wit's end. She had send a raven to Morgause using a spell Merlin had taught her, but she had received no reply. She didn't know what to do and people were starting to notice her attention was constantly on the Prince's Manservant, Uther especially.

~/\\\/\\\~

He could see how worried his children were about the serving boy, who seemed to be wasting away. The lad had been getting worse since that time he had seen him weeping as he made his way to Morgana's chamber. Whatever had the boy cry appeared to be affecting him still, weeks later.

Arthur, ever the prince the kingdom deserved, hid his worry well, but Uther knew his son well enough to see the signs. Morgana was trying to hide her tired eyes, her sad looks, and her moments hugging her baby brother as he cried. Even the servant was trying to hide his worsening condition, tears, and sadness.

Uther didn't understand why a boy who grew up as a peasant would try to hold himself as if he is unaffected. If the boy had been raised by his true mother or his father, he could understand the noble attitude, but he wasn't. The boy pretended like he was the happy fool until he thought no one could see and then the pain was clear to all.

But what had happened to cause this? It seemed to have started when the dr- Ah. The boy had been the one to let the druid witch loose and people died. The boy likely blamed himself for the deaths she caused, as he well should, but he wouldn't need to hide his shame as he was. Either the boy was hiding something else, or he felt he needed to keep his master's image free of a blubbering manservant. One way or the other, the lad required a closer look.

~/\\\/\\\~

When he returned from his rounds, the last people Gaius thought he would see in his chambers was Hunith, Balinor, and Morgause. As worried as he was about the later two's presence in the city, he was glad the first two were here. Behind him, Morgana slid into the room.

The old man smiled. He knew the lady had formed a bond with his ward so he was pleased to see her. Surely between her and the lad's parents they could help the boy. He just didn't understand why Morgause was here.

"Sister! How is he? Your message was worrisome." The high priestess pulled her sister into a quick hug.

"Gwen managed to get his to drink some tea, which we laced with one of my old sleeping draughts, so he is asleep in the servant's room off of my chambers." The lady locked eyes with Balinor and smiled. "Your eyes are still the same."

Gaius sent a questioning look at his old friend as the man gapped. "I doubted you would remember me, you were only three when I left."

"So it is true? I wondered when you helped him when our village was attacked." Hunith had tears in her eyes, but Gaius couldn't understand why.

Morgana smiled sweetly at her and nodded. "It is true, but neither of us knew it at the time."

The woman smiled and hugged the lady. "I am glad."

"What is true?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them, but now that the were out, he was going to see them through.

Hunith and Balinor looked at his with wide eyes before turning to the sisters.

"He doesn't know?" Hunith exclaimed as Balinor asked "Why didn't any of you tell him?"

The physician raised his eyebrow at the group and asked again. "What is true? What haven't I been told?"

The four looked at each other before Balinor began telling his old friend the entire story behind what happened after he fled Camelot with the three women filling in details as he went.

~/\\\/\\\~

Arthur knew something was wrong with his servant. The first sign had been the lack of constant chatter and sarcasm. After that, he noticed how the thin shirts Merlin wore seemed to be growing more and more loose. Then the dark circles under his eyes had formed. Arthur mentioned it to Morgana, but she shifted their conversation masterfully away from that.

He had tried to give Merlin less tasks, but that didn't go as planned. He ended up finding his servant helping out other people with their tasks instead of resting. When he tried to get the idiot to eat, the food would disappear without any of it making its way into the brunette's mouth.

Now, Arthur wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad one that he hadn't seen his servant in over an hour. Merlin tended to attract trouble like a torch attracts moths. Either something terrible had happened to him, or he finally fell asleep.

He knew that Morgana and her maid, Guinevere, had been helping the servant since the night he had fallen asleep crying in Morgana's arms. If anyone knew where the idiot was, it would be those two. That was why he was on his way to his sister's chambers.

Sister. That was going to take some getting used to. It had been awhile since he had found out and he still hadn't worked up the courage to tell her. While they were growing up, she had always commented how much better a father Gorlois had been in comparison to her new guardian. How to you tell someone the person they thought was their father, wasn't, and the man they disliked really was their father?

It was moments like this that Arthur envied Merlin for not knowing who his father was. But when those thoughts came to him, he quickly quieted them. A boy needed his father as he grew up. It was no wonder Merlin was such a girl, he had only ever had his mother.

In many ways, Merlin was his opposite. Merlin was dark headed, while his hair was quite fair. Merlin was thin and he was broad. Merlin's clumsy while he was very sure footed. Merlin was raised as a peasant in a kingdom that allowed magic, he was the prince of the first kingdom to ban the use of sorcery. Merlin had been raised by a loving woman while he had any attention given to him by his father.

Yet despite their differences, they got on. Like salty and sweet. Iron and gold. They had enough in common to understand each other without destroying what made them different. That was one of the reasons he wanted to find Merlin. He wanted to help his servant before he lost one of the things that set them apart or lost Merlin entirely.


	8. Revelations

Gaius could hardly believe everything they told him. All this time he had thought his niece had given birth to Merlin, only to find out the boy was Lady Vivienne's. This explained many things that had bothered him in the back of his mind since he met the boy.

"Hunith, why did you never tell me?" Of everything, that was what bothered the old physician.

"I… I really don't know. At first I wasn't sure how you would take it. You had been happy that I had a child like I had always wanted, yet you seemed so mad at the same time. As time went on, I guess I just thought of Merlin as my own and never thought to say otherwise." She looked slightly abashed.

"So he was born of two powerful creatures of magic. No wonder his talent is so strong." Gaius received four glares at his comment.

"You know how I feel about being called a creature. Being a Dragonlord doesn't change the fact I am human. The same goes for Vivienne." Balinor's tone was almost frightening.

"Agreed." All three women said, with the sisters nodding in unison. The sight sent shivers down his aged spine.

"How much of this does he know?" By the looks on their faces, none of them had thought about this.

"Well, he knows about Morgana and I, he knows Balinor's name, but not his face, and he knows Hunith didn't give birth to him. I never told him about Mother having being a Priestess." Hunith looked heartbroken at the statement.

"He knew?" She looked a heartbeat from tears.

"He told me that he remembered some things from before coming to live with you." Morgana's eyes were so caring.

"He was so young, it is hard to believe." Balinor looked doubtful.

"He knows his lullaby from the day the two of you left. He sang it to me and to Morgana." His dark eyes watered at her words.

"How are the four of you going to talk to him?" Gaius thought it best to change the subject before the lot of them succumbed to tears.

"You aren't going to help us?" Hunith looked somewhat panicked.

"I love the boy dearly, but he needs his family more than me, I fear." This was a fact in his mind.

"You are his family. You were the one he turned to for that first year here, not any of us." Now it was the physician's turn to get wet eyes.

Smiling at Morgan for her kind words, he edited his earlier statement. "How are the five of us going to talk to him?"

~/\\\/\\\~

Gwen was surprised at how long Merlin had been asleep. She had known he was tired, but she also knew he rarely slept long anyway. It had been just after breakfast that they had dosed him and it was now nearly sunset. She had explained to Prince Arthur how Merlin hadn't been sleeping well and then said he had taken one of Gaius's sleeping drafts. None of what she said had been a lie, but she had felt completely horrid for not telling him the whole story.

It was the look of relief on his face that made her hold her tongue. She knew the relationship between the two of them was more than servant and master, but this was almost brotherly concern. How could she ruin his new-found peace by telling him Merlin hadn't willingly taken the potion?

And those two weren't the only ones she was worried about. Morgana had spent most of the morning in Gaius's chambers and now she seemed happier, but was being more secretive than before. On top of that, Uther had come by twice in search of his ward.

He rarely visited Morgana, he usually sent a message asking for her to join him wherever he wished. So, two visits had put the poor maid on edge. It was clear he wanted something, but she had no idea what.

Morgana had seemed just as surprised when she found out about the first visit as she was when he came the second time. The two of them talked briefly, and then he left. Morgana seemed torn between being relieved and angry once the door was shut. She avoided explaining why and said she still didn't understand why he had come in person.

All in all, it had been an emotionally tiring day. Gwen didn't want to return home until she could apologize to her sleeping friend, but he didn't seem to be any closer to waking up now than he did when he first fell asleep. Waking him up seemed somewhat cruel, but it needed done.

Entering the back room, she instantly felt something was wrong. Merlin was exactly where they had left him. He hadn't even turned or moved in his sleep. Also, he was much paler than that morning and he had red spots on his cheeks.

Touching his forehead, she felt heat pouring off of him. How had she not noticed this any of the other times she had looked in on him? He been feverish when they dosed him? These thoughts ran through her head as she rushed to inform Morgana.

~/\\\/\\\~

What a day. The planning on how to tell Merlin about himself was cut short when a stable boy came in with a nasty bite from one of the horses, so Hunith, Balinor, and Morgause moved to Merlin's room and Morgana returned to her chambers. Then, Uther came by to talk about the upcoming peace summit. After he left, a messenger arrived with the news that one on the women in the lower town was in labor and the midwife wanted his help with the birth.

He got back to his chambers around sunset and barely set his satchel down before Morgana ran in and told him about Merlin. With Arthur and Gwen's help they moved the boy to his own room, which the trio had left at some time, and Gaius and Gwen began treating him.

Now, it was nearing midnight. Arthur had escorted the maid home and then retired with instructions to be informed of any changes in Merlin's condition. Morgana had been so upset that Morgause had finally taken her to her chambers and planned on staying with her while she got some sleep. Balinor and later Hunith, after making a show of arriving at the gates, were more than helpful in both treating their son and in keeping the girls calm.

Poor Merlin was a sad sight. It was clear that he had pushed himself too hard trying to distract himself from the pain of losing Freya. He had hardly been sleeping, only eating when forced, and it all led to him catching some kind of illness. The only good thing was that he was more willing to eat and drink in his current, mostly unconscious state.

Gaius knew he should have expected something like this to happen. Merlin was one of those people who feels deeply about even the smallest things and this was anything but small. All the signs had been there, but he thought the boy would come to him before it got this far.

He understood that his ward likely hadn't been thinking straight since he set eyes of the poor girl trapped in that cage. The physician had hardened himself during the early days of the purge, so the sight didn't faze him. But for a young lad who had just rediscovered his sisters due to the persecution of magic users and lived in constant fear of discovery, his reaction was far from unexpected.

Falling for the druid, that was what surprised the old man. She had only been in Camelot two days when she died. She might have lasted longer if Morgause hadn't tried to get her out of the city, but that was hard to say.

Now he had a heartbroken seventeen-year-old warlock whose grief had led him to becoming ill. He also had two wanted magic users to worry about as well as his niece and the Lady Morgana. All of which had a familial connection to the boy. At least the day was over and they could all hope for a better day to dawn.

~/\\\/\\\~

It was his lullaby that he woke to. His entire body hurt. Almost as if he had been Arthur's training dummy and then had a stay in the stocks. His head hurt so bad he couldn't even tell who was singing, just that it was his song.

As he tried to focus enough to pay attention to the melody, he stopped being able to breath and started coughing. He could feel hands on his neck and back as he was lifted into a sitting position, but the coughing only got worse. He felt what seemed to be a mace land hard between his shoulder blades. The pain was sharp, but it also allowed him to expel whatever it was that had kept him from breathing.

After a few ragged breaths, his cough returned. A soothing hand gently rubbed his aching chest while another patted his back. He felt a towel being placed over his head right before the heat hit. The air suddenly felt hot and wet, like a summer afternoon right after a storm. He was oddly surprised at how much it seemed to help him clear his lungs.

As his breathing calmed, his limited energy faded. His body began to sag with exhaustion, but strong hands kept him for falling. The humid air was replaced with a cool breeze as he was laid down, on his side this time. The voice began humming the lullaby and Merlin didn't even try to fight sleep as it came for him.

~/\\\/\\\~

It had been a trying few days for the prince. He had learned this he had never thought he would and things he wished he hadn't. After getting his sick servant to Gaius, he had taken Guinevere back to her father's house. His thoughts had been on his sister's maid's father during his walk back to his chambers, so his mood was not the best when he saw who was waiting for him.

His father wasn't one to go to the person he wanted, nor was he the kind to wait for them to arrive instead of being summoned. So, he was surprised to see him standing by windows looking down on the courtyard. This, added with the anger at his father for Tom the blacksmith's death, his greeting to his father hadn't been the nicest.

He spent hours discussing the upcoming peace talks with the man and then his father brought up Merlin. His temper had cooled during the planning, so his response was only slightly waspish. There was a look of genuine worry in his father's eyes afterward, which was a rare sight for Arthur.

It wasn't until his father asked if the illness was catching that Arthur's suspicion waned. He knew from Guinevere that his father had seen Merlin near Morgana's chambers, so his father's worry hadn't been for the boy sick in Gaius's healing rooms or even for his son, but for his unacknowledged daughter. He had half a mind to lie and say it was very catching, but he knew better.

Right before his father left, a guard was sent to inform the prince that Merlin's mother had arrived and that she had been asked to come some days before by Gaius. Arthur dismissed the soldier and turn just in time to see the skeptical look on his father's face for a mere moment before it was replaced with a stern, emotionless mask. After that, his father finally stated his intention to retire for the night.

The next day, he found out that Merlin had only gotten worse during the night. Morgana spent most of the day with Merlin, and that was when Arthur found out one of the things he wished he had never learned. She hadn't known he was there, so she was not at fault for the hurt that followed her words.

Poor Merlin. No wonder he had been so down, had worked himself half to death, and hadn't been eating and sleeping. His friend had just lost the girl he loved, at Arthur's own hands. Everything made sense after that.

It had all been his fault. The girl's death, Merlin's sadness, and now his illness. That was why Arthur made a point to help with Merlin's care when he could. That was where he learned a great deal of new things. About medicine, Hunith, Merlin, Ealdor, and how hard peasant life can be.

After three days and several scares, Merlin finally woke up. Arthur avoided Merlin while he was awake, mainly due to guilt, but also not knowing how to act around or apologize to his friend. Morgana didn't seem to notice in her excitement, Gaius and Hunith seemed to understand, but Guinevere didn't. She gave him the most polite, yet scathing tongue lashing he has ever been witness to.

Once he explained, he then had to comfort the maid. She apparently had known that Merlin's beau had died, but she hadn't known how. She didn't seem to hold any anger towards him, which relieved Arthur more than he wished to admit.


	9. Insights

Uther was concerned. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that had caused the concern. It was almost as if it had grown so slowly over time that he could not place when it started.

He did know that the concern had somehow branched out to include his son's servant, who happened to be his daughter's brother. The boy had taken ill and nearly died. Both of his children had withdrawn themselves from the court and spent that time with the ailing lad.

Now that the boy was on the mend, Morgana was happy again and was a joy to be around in a way the king hadn't seen since before Gorlois's death. Arthur was still on the gloomy side, but he seemed much more alert and energetic than he had before. In fact, the entire castle seemed to be brighter and livelier than it had been in weeks.

Surely one boy couldn't affect the lives of all those serving in the household, could he? Even some of the lords had asked after the lad during the past week. How could a single servant, who didn't even know who he was, have integrated himself so seamlessly into all the inner workings of Camelot?

Uther couldn't even deny that he had been worried about the boy. It wasn't just the affect his illness had on his children, staff, and fellow noblemen. He was worried about the boy who had saved his son's life more than once, the boy who had faced the king's wrath so that his master could court a girl, the boy who was the youngest child of his late lover. A boy who could have just as easily have been his own rather than Balinor's.

And just like that, he understood. The idea hit him like a charging boar. Once it was lodged in his mind, he couldn't seem to shake it.

Merlin had the same blue eyes as Arthur. Eyes that came from Uther's side of the family. Balinor, like Ygraine, had brown eyes. Vivienne had green eyes, just like Morgana's. Was it possible that the boy was also his son?

True, the boy looked a great deal like Balinor had when he was young, but even back then, people had thought the two of them were brother since they looked so much alike. Could Vivienne have conceived their last time together? The timing wasn't too far off.

The very idea of having three children, all under his care nearly brought the king to his knees. He suddenly needed to know who the boy's father was. At that moment, he truly wished he hadn't executed his former lover and mother to his only daughter. He needed answers that only she could give.

But if the boy possessed his mother's 'talent', son or no son, he would meet the same fate as his mother. He would make it a private affair like he had for her. No pyre, just a simple chopping block.

~/\\\/\\\~

Balinor had missed Kilgharrah, he really had, but he hadn't missed his old friend's arrogance. Only he would think that being the only Great Dragon left alive gave him the right to manipulate a future Dragonlord. He could take Kilgharrah's anger at being abandoned, his need for freedom, but what he had done to Emrys was nearly unforgivable. Gaius had told him about his son's interactions with Kilgharrah, now he was going to face his kin and was going to give him a piece of his mind.

What kind of creature would try to turn a boy against his own sister? He had even nearly gotten Hunith killed! All the while knowing who Merlin was destined to be. It was shameful at the mildest and abysmal at the worst. If this had happened in the days before the purge, Kilgharrah would have been locked away much as he was now, but that was then. Balinor knew what he wanted to do, but he would let Merlin set the dragon's punishment.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin was happy Hunith was here. She was him mum after all even if she wasn't the one who gave birth to him. But even she hadn't been able to break through his depression over Freya.

He knew he needed to move on, but it was hard and he didn't even understand how losing her could hurt this much. He wanted to talk to Arthur about it, but he also didn't want the prat to blame himself. He wanted to talk to Morgause too, to thank her for trying, but she never seemed to come to see him.

When Morgana asked him not to let this change him like Ygraine's did Uther, thoughts of him turning into a twisted dark hearted warlock filled his mind. He would be like Cornelius Sigan part of his mind told him, another said he would be cold and heartless like the dragon, there were so many voices each with a different yet horrible fate for him.

Some had his kill Arthur, others had him make the prince his slave, one showed him a vision of him rip Arthur's heart from his chest and eat if while it beat its last. Darker and darker visions came to him, some where he brought Freya back just so she could she the pain she caused, the monster she created. Even when he thought the scenes could not get worse, they did.

He felt like he was drowning. Like he was caught in the current, underwater, not knowing which way was up. He felt like he needed to breath, yet was afraid if he did that one of these nightmares would make their way into him and snuff out the love he knew was still there.

He needed help. He needed someone to rescue him. All the While feeling he didn't' deserve to be saved when he couldn't even help the girl he loved.

~/\\\/\\\~

When Morgana made the mistake of comparing Freya to Ygraine that sent Merlin into some dark thoughts that he couldn't escape and trapping him in his own mind, they all tried their best to pull him from out with no luck. After hours of him being unresponsive to Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, Hunith, and Morgana, Morgause and Balinor were brought in. They slowly eased their way past his mental block he used to keep out Kilgharrah's nagging calls and slowly waded through the dark thoughts and heartbreaking memories as they searched for the part of Merlin trapped in the midst of it all.

When they found his essence, it was so small and weak. It was trapped in a cage of self-loathing and pity and locked with heartache. Never had either of them seen anything like what they had in the dark visions the swirled around the cage nor the strength of the melancholia holding the bars of self-hate in place.

The poor boy was hurting more than they had realized as this prison had been built long before the druid girl's death. Balinor hated to see the boy he had placed under Hunith's care to keep him safe and to give him a chance for happiness being pulled apart by the things he had tried to shelter him from. That was when he saw the words on the cage.

*beast* *demon* *spawn* *by-blow* *worthless* *trash* *animal* *fatherless worm* *coward* *waste of space* *creature* *murderer* *better off dead* *traitor* *useless* *monster*

There were so many more horrible descriptions. Balinor could only hope that these were things his son had been called and not what he called himself. No wonder the boy had been so broken. He had found someone as broken as he felt and fallen in love with her. The problem was, she didn't see how broken he was and ran away to keep him safe.

In a way, Balinor wished he didn't understand but if Morgause's reaction was anything to go by, he was better off knowing and would she. Explaining to her that this was not a jail, but sanctuary she nearly broke her. He knew she had been through pain and suffering, but nothing like her baby brother had.

Working together, they started "fixing" the visions into lighter versions. The vision of the heart was turned to eating an apple that had fallen on Arthur's chest as he napped under a fruit tree, each one they changed seemed to weaken the cage where Emrys was hiding from the pain and misery. Balinor let Morgause alter the vision of Freya's resurrection.

He watched as she changed it bit by bit. Gone was the city of bodies and blood, instead there was a lake with mountains in the distance and each body became beautiful butterflies of impossible colors. The look of horror on the girl's face was replaced with a loving smile. The madness in Merlin's eyes was replaced with contentment and joy.

Now the cage looked more like a table with a cloth covering it, making a comfortable hiding spot for a child. A child's safe area. The implications of that were just as painful as the words on the cage.

Almost afraid of what he would find behind the blanket, Balinor softly called out his son's inner mind hiding there. He couldn't help but smile at the child like response he received in return, but at the same time, it nearly broke his heart. Not knowing what to do, he looked to Morgause.

She didn't even meet his eye before she got down beside the table, lifted the corner of the cloth, and slipped under it. Balinor did not know what she said to her brother, but not long after she joined him, he found himself waking up outside of Emrys's mind. On the bed, Merlin and Morgause seemed to be sleeping peacefully with soft smiles on their faces.

Giving his own smile, Balinor got up to let the others know that Merlin was on the mend, mentally and physically. This wasn't the end of the pain. The Dragonlord understood that, but it was a turning point for the better. And with a destiny like Emrys's, that was all you could really ask for.


	10. Understanding

Waking up to see his mother and sisters asleep at his bedside was something he had never known that he wanted. He felt at peace for the first time since Hunith had told him why he needed to hide his magic. This was something his very soul had longed for, and now he had it.

Smiling a truly happy smile, he allowed himself to fall back to sleep. No worries disturbed his sleep, just a warm feeling of love and protection from his family. This helped pull him into a deep, healing sleep where his magic could grow in the purity of the moment.

~/\\\/\\\~

Arthur wasn't sure what to do with himself. He trained, ate, and slept like he always had, but without Merlin around, there seemed to be nothing to occupy his thoughts. This lead to a lot of thinking.

Should he tell Morgana she was his sister? Should he confront his father about hiding Morgana's true heritage? Should he search out Morgause? If he did, should he ask her more about magic? About his mother? Should he sit with Merlin? Should he let his servant know how much he cared about him? Should he ask Morgana, Guinevere, or Gaius what had caused Merlin to allow himself to waste away like that? Did they even know? What would he have done if Merlin hadn't pulled through? Would he have gone back to being that uncaring prat? Would he have been worse? Would he have let his father and council know that he knew about his father's use of magic?

All of these thoughts and more ran through his mind as he stared at his empty hearth. Despite the frenzy, the castle was in due to the upcoming peace talks, several servants had come and cleaned his room until it was immaculate. He hated that.

They put away his belongings where they believed they belonged, whereas Merlin put them where they were preferred and easily found. The floors had been scrubbed until they shone, which made them slick. Merlin made sure the floor was clean without making them slippery. And the bed… Well, he had best not think too hard on that, or he might break something.

It all just showed that Merlin may not be the best servant in the kingdom, but he knew exactly what his prince needed. Even if it was just a poor meal to get him to get up quicker or constant chatter to keep his master from thinking too hard. And now that that was gone, he missed it dearly.

~/\\\/\\\~

Balinor was very much like his son. When he was angry or irritated at someone, he didn't lash out or do anything to draw notice to him. Instead, he would cause small mishaps that made him feel better while annoying or confusing those on the receiving end. And right now, he was angry at the King, so he was making Uther's day miserable.

He had caused the King's breakfast to stay just too hot to eat, then he made sure there were lint clumps in Uther's socks that were annoying, but not worth the time of removing. He enchanted Uther's chambers to amplify the smallest noise, causing the scratch of the quill on parchment to irritate the king to the point he stormed out of the room without finishing the important documents on his desk. And this was just what the Dragonlord had done to his former friend before midmorning.

Balinor knew he shouldn't be tormenting Uther, but it was better than hiding in the tunnels below the city, wondering the wood, or taking his anger out on his soulkin, so he just kept adding minor irritants to the king's day. Gaius and Hunith would chastise him for what he was doing, but it helped eat away at the deeply hidden rage he had held towards Uther since Arthur's birth. If he had to choose between slowly releasing his feelings by ruining the royal's day or letting all his anger out all at once, raising the city to the ground, he would choose to torment his former brother-in-arms.

~/\\\/\\\~

Uther wasn't positive, but he was fairly sure that the ghost of his old friend was haunting him. Little things had been happening all morning, thing's Balinor used to do when they were young. Balinor had been dead for well over a decade, according to the late king of Essetir, so it had to be his spirit taunting him. But why now?

Was it due to his plans to use the dragon in his dungeons to force peace with his neighboring rulers? Was mentioning the man's name beneath his breath a few nights before that brought the spirit forth? Or was it the boy?

The boy. If he was the reason, would that mean the young servant was the late lord's child and not his own? And would the specter not have come when the lad was first ailing, or even when he was near death's door? Why wait until the lad was on the mend? Mentioning his name was far more likely, though that too had shortcomings.

If the name invoked the man's spirit, why had it not come during those early years that he cursed that name hourly? Or when the druids tried to free the dragon from its pit, and he gloated over the beast's master's death? Or when he used the name in questioning Lady Vivienne before her execution? "Vivienne."

Without another word, Uther left the mostly silent, small dining hall that he had been using to finish the document the noise of his quill had caused him to put off until that afternoon. He headed straight to the crypt where he had allowed his late lover's body to be laid to rest. He needed to speak to her, though he knew she would provide him no answers to his endless questions.

~/\\\/\\\~

Gwen had been so busy the past few days with all the preparations for the arrival of the foreign kings in less than a fortnight. Now that Merlin was getting better, she was spending less time helping Gaius and Hunith with him and more time making sure Lady Morgana's chambers were spotless and doing both her work for the preparations as well as part of Merlin's, as he was clearly in no shape to do them.

The Steward knew of Merlin's illness but assigned him work to do despite it. Knowing that Merlin would attempt to do the work if he heard that it was assigned him, Gwen and a few of the other girls had taken it upon themselves to work Merlin's tasks. Abbigale and Liza were in charge of keeping the Prince's room clean, Beth made sure his meals were waiting for him at mealtimes, Mary and her little boys were tending to the armor and mending, Phyllis got her brothers to tend to Arthur's hounds and horses, while Gwen and Alice did Merlin's preparation tasks.

Between the lot of them, they still barely got the work done, meaning Merlin would have been hard-pressed to have done it all when he was healthy, let alone weak from his illness. How her friend managed to all those tasks daily was a mystery to Gwen. She knew that on top of all the tasks they had done, Merlin also attended the Prince's training sessions, went riding and hunting, and served as a lead servant for visiting nobles. When did he find the time to eat?

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Gwen continued her task of cleaning and airing the guest chambers needed for when the peace talks began.

~/\\\/\\\~

The feeling of her magic flowing through her instead of trying to break free was one of the most amazing things Morgana had ever felt. Between morning lessons with Morgause, nightly practice with Balinor, and hints and pointers from Merlin, she was nearly in complete control of her powers. Not but a few months before, she had been terrified of her magic and had felt so alone, now she had a family she had only barely remembered, she didn't have to hide her magic all of the time, and she was learning how to use and control it.

She couldn't bring herself to be mad at Gaius for not telling her that her nightmares were visions. He was just trying to keep the both of them safe, she understood that now. She also understood why Merlin hadn't told her about his magic until after they discovered that they were siblings. She was finally seeing most of the image when she used to only see a small section of the great tapestry that was being woven around them.

If only her mother could see them now. The lady hadn't seen her mother in over a decade and could no longer remember details about her, but she remembered the love and sadness that she had felt around her. She had asked Merlin once what he remembered, but all he remembered was their song and that Vivienne had brown hair. Morgause didn't know what became of their mother, but she had wonderful stories about life in Cornwall before Uther's madness reached the coast.

As much as she wished to meet the woman, Morgana felt that it was impossible. She didn't understand why she felt this way. But if there was one thing she felt in her magic, it was that the Lady Vivienne was no longer among the living.


	11. Exposed

As soon as Balinor saw that Uther was headed to the crypt, his instincts screamed to for him to get backup. Over the years of his exile, he had learned to listen to those instincts and never had they been this clear. Getting Gaius, a few knights, and Sir Geoffrey didn't take long with the aid of a glamour charm and a story of a witch in the citadel. He managed to get Gaius to convince Arthur to stay with Morgana and Hunith before they all headed to the crypt.

Uther was clearly not expecting anyone to interrupt him since he was talking quite loudly to someone. As they came closer, they could hear that he was talking about Merlin. Balinor's blood froze when Uther said the name of the person he was speaking to.

"- could easily pass as my own son. Many foreigners believe them to be brothers… in a way, they are. Because of this, I have kept an eye on him and I am convinced he has no idea of who his father is. The boy calls that woman his mother, yet his bond with Morgana clearly indicates he knows the truth. I need to know Vivienne, is he Balinor's or mine?"

Luckily, Geoffrey signaled for everyone to halt and listened intently to the king's words.

"Morgana and he share the same looks and being my daughter, I wonder if our last night together in Tintagel led to the birth of another son for me. Had I known the child I heard you had borne yet lived, I would have questioned you before I sent you to the block."

Balinor's heart was in his throat and his head rand with grief and rage. Uther had killed her and hid her away! Merlin never knew his mother, the girls lost her at such young ages. It was all on Uther. Only Gaius' consoling hand kept him from killing Uther for what he had done.

"I loved you, Vivienne, but you refused to give up your heathen ways. Magic may have given me a son, but it took the life of my soul, my Ygraine. You knew, yet you and Nimueh still worshipped that pagan goddess and called yourselves priestesses. Had you turned your back on that evil, I would have made you my consort."

Quiet gasps were heard from the knights and Gaius' grip tightened, either to keep his friend from acting or in his own anger. Neither mattered to Balinor. His vision was clouded with rage and he finally knew the level of Kilgharrah's hatred.

"Instead, you betrayed me and now you lay here in death, mocking me. Did I sire the boy? Is Merlin my son? If only you had changed your ways. Goodbye my love, I will see you again if one of your whelps decides to follow your path. I will see that they are laid here at your side."

As Uther stood to leave, Geoffrey stepped out of hiding and marched towards his king. Gaius held him back physically, but Balinor's magic flowed from him and reached out to the bones of his late lover and mother to his son. He was so lost in his grief as his magic caressed her remains that he did not hear Geoffrey's denouncement of Uther as king and asked the knights to seize him.

He did however, hear Uther's rant about being king and how his word was law. Geoffrey pointed out that even the king was not above the laws of the land and the laws of his own making. He stood there as his old friend was dragged off screaming, just staring at the stone box that held what remained of the woman he had loved.

"Go to her. Set her spirit free."

Gaius' words had barely left his mouth before Balinor found himself rushing to sarcophagus and lifting the lid. Nature had done its job and only her bone lay there. Carefully, he picked up her skull that had been placed at her feet and gently returned it to its proper place. His magic swelled, and he could almost feel her hand on his cheek before it faded. He hadn't realized he was crying until a handkerchief was placed in his hand.

"She is at peace now."

Balinor nodded and turned to hug his friend. They just stood there in the crypt, mourning. For Vivienne, for the time her children had missed with her, and for the pain those same children and Arthur were about to face.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin dreamed of his mother. Not Hunith, but his real mother. She was even more beautiful than his hazy memory had shown him. Her long brown hair waved like leaves in a breeze, her skin was clear and fair, and her eyes were so deep blue they looked almost black. She smiled at him and called him by his name. His magic reached out and mingled with hers is a way that seemed to comfort his very soul.

"I love you my son. Your sisters, your father, and you will soon be free of the fear that burdens you. Be strong and follow your heart. I will send Freya your love as she sends hers. Be at peace, my sweet child."

Her voice was sweeter than he remembered, yet sounded the same. His magic seemed sad to let her go, but she muttered a few words and was gone.

Back in the waking world, tears leaked from his sleeping eyes while a sad smile graced his lips. A part of him that had always been held tight, hidden even from himself, unraveled and his power shifted. The gift of the mother was now that of the son.

~/\\\/\\\~

Arthur was numb. He didn't know what to think or feel about the true being revealed. He was born of magic, just like he had been told by the spirits of his mother and the priestess. That wasn't what he couldn't understand. No, it was the fact that his father had privately killed and hidden Morgana's mother and was caught visiting her in the crypts.

Usually, he would have Merlin at his side comforting and explaining things to him. But with Merlin recovering from his illness and being bed ridden, he could not lay that on him. He could not speak of it to Morgana since she had locked herself in her room and was likely mourning her mother. He had not seen Guinevere, but he suspected she was with Morgana or Merlin. Even Gaius and Leon were busy with dealing with his father's - no, Uther's, the man did not deserve that title anymore- betrayal of the people of Camelot.

There was nothing he could do for Morgana or Merlin, He was not allowed to confront his father, Sir Geoffrey was leading the search to see how far his father had stooped in his grief for his mother, and he had no means of venting since the training yards were being watched by Leon who had personally banned his prince from the area. Any other day, Arthur would have ignored his childhood advisor, but he was too raw right now to argue with the knight. That was why he was currently in the library looking for anything about the Lady Vivienne, the woman who was the mother of his sister, one of the reasons for all this turmoil, and an insight into the life of a practitioner of magic.

He knew the basics about her. Things like where she was from, who her family was, and until recent events, he would have said he knew her life from her marriage to Gorlois until her disappearance 15 years ago. Morgana had only been a toddler when Lady Vivienne had vanished. Had she given birth to any children after Morgana? There was rumor that she had carried and lost a babe less than a year before she had gone missing and that she mourned the child so much that she her ended her life.

Now, looking back, there was every chance that Morgana could have a younger sibling out in the world that Vivienne had hidden away. She had hidden Morgause from Uther, so she could have done it again. But why did she not hide Morgana? Was it because she knew Uther would look into the death of his child? Or was it because she could not bear to see another child taken?

He just hope to find answers in his search. Morgana deserved answers. Morgause too, where ever she was. He needed to understand both sides of what happened if he was to confront Uther or explain what had happened to the people of his kingdom and those of Camelot's allies.

With that thought, he pulled down a new tome and started reading.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgana was livid. She had known Uther was her father and Arthur was her brother. She had known that magic had been used to allow Ygraine to have a child. She had known that the queen's death had led to her family being pulled apart. But this, this was more than she could justify or forgive.

She had thought her mother had abandoned her! For nearly as long as she could remember she had resented her mother. Now that she knew that her mother had been murdered and her body hidden away, she turned her resentment for her mother to her hatred of Uther, her vile sir who deserved a long and painful death. She wanted to go down to the dungeons and release her fury on him, but Morgause had held her back.

So now, she was locked in her room by a spell from her sister. She could not even let the guards hear her anger since Morgause had places a charm to block her words and action from leaving the room. That was why she felt no need to limit her rage. Words and furniture flew across the room like birds in the sky. She had even thrown a few spells that Merlin and Morgause had taught her, and that only made her angrier. It should have been her mother teaching her, not her baby brother who had never gotten to know their mother at all!

She had torn down her bed curtains, thrown chairs and pillows across the room, over turned tables, knocked over the changing screen, and those were before Morgause had left. She almost felt bad since Gwen was going to have to clean this all up, but she was too mad the stop. She was not sure how she was going to explain the scorch marks or the lack of noise, but she would deal with that once her anger was appeased.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause was just as upset as her sister was about what the tyrant had done to their family, but she was better at controlling it. She wanted to personally use every torture method she knew on him and then made a few new ones. Then she wanted to publicly flog him to death for all the world to see him. At the same time, she also wanted him to disappear without a trace like her mother had.

That was why she was sitting by her mother's body, praying to the goddess for wisdom and guidance. She knew that the Lords of the King's Council would see that Uther's crimes were uncovered and documented and Gaius and Sir Geoffrey would see that no crime was over looked or down played. Balinor would see that Uther did not get released or escape the dungeons. Merlin was recovering under Hunith's care, Morgana was likely still venting her emotions on the contents of her room, and Morgana's maid was keeping the word about the King's imprisonment from being spread around the castle and into the town. She did not know what the prince was doing, but she doubted the poor boy was fairing too badly. Now, she just needed to know what she needed to do.

She could feel the remains of her mother's magic in the air around her. Her mother's soul had been trapped in her corpse for over a decade! The monster had removed her head and kept it separate from her body, keeping her magic and soul in her decaying body. She had felt when her mother had been made whole again. It was like a warm breeze on a winters day, like stepping into a heated room after being out in the snow. It felt safe and comforting. She had felt power like that since she had been joined to Merlin during the spirit raising of the late queen and the former high priestess, pure and light.

Now all that remained was a slight tingle in the room the housed her bones. Morgause wanted to take her mother to Tintagel and bury her beside Gorlois and the rest of her family, but her remains needed to stay where they were to prove Uther's crimes. That was why she was in the heart of Camelot praying to the Triple Goddess. She needed a new purpose now that the one she had carried since she was a child was no longer in her grasp.


	12. Healing

Arthur was barred from his father's trial. The Lords of the Council believed his presence would affect Uther's response and reaction to their questions and the testimonies of witnesses. Arthur himself did not know how to feel about it all, even two days after the news. His father had murdered Morgana's mother and hid her in the crypts not far from his own mother. He had no one to talk to about it right now either.

Merlin and Gaius were being called in as well as those present when the lady's body was discovered and all of them were likely to say whatever they thought would please him. So, he could not talk with either of them. Morgana had locked herself in her room and would not even let Guinevere in. He did not know Hunith well enough to speak with her. The only other person he could think of to sheak to would be the witch Morgause, but she was Lady Vivienne's daughter too.

Not knowing what else to do with himself, Arthur went down to the crypt and sat by the body of the woman who had shaped his life without him knowing it. As he sat there, he realized that the guards had left her alone. He felt remorseful over that.

Had the poor woman been laid to rest respectfully? Was her soul at peace? Had she known what would become of her when she had returned to Camelot? All those questions and more filled his mind as he watched vigil over her. He knew everything written in the archives about her, but even that was limited.

He had been there for a while when someone joined him. He heard them approach, so he looked up from the desiccated corpse, which was barely more than bones at this point. There, a few paces away was the witch Morgause.

"Thank you for sitting with my mother." She was in a white dress similar to the one she had worn when she had allowed him to speak with his own mother.

"It felt wrong leaving her alone after all these years of being hidden away." Not that he understood why.

"She helped to raise you until she realized she was carrying Morgana. She may even have come to see you between then and her death." Arthur looked at her in shock.

"I am surprised my father allowed a known magic user near his heir during a time where the mere mention of magic meant death." His father must have truly mad with grief at the time for him to have let the lady do such a thing.

"I was jealous of you once for it. She sent me away to be raised in the temples, yet you, a child that was not even hers, received her love and attention for over a year. It was not until my brother was born that I understood why she had hidden me away. She was protecting me, just as she protected him by sending him off with his father."

"A brother. Did he survive the purge?" He did not understand why, but he had always secretly wanted a little brother and he longed for Morgana to have a younger brother he could claim as his own.

"Oh yes. He grew to be a stronger person than I could have imagined." Arthur could clearly see the pride in her eyes as she spoke of her brother.

"I hope to be able to meet him one day." He was sincere, but it pulled a laugh out of the sorceress.

"Go now young prince before I spill secrets I should not. Our sister could use a distraction from destroying her room." As she said this, she placed her hand in a comforting manner on his shoulder.

Not knowing what else to say, Arthur nodded and left the mother and daughter alone in the crypt to find Morgana. Hopefully she could keep him from falling apart until Merlin could help him understand his feelings. Merlin was good at that.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgana had gotten used to the fact no one outside of her chambers could hear her and that she could not hear them, so when she heard a knock on her door, she was startled. So much so that she tripped over the wrecked frame of what had once been a chair before she had taken her frustrations out on it. It was not until the person knocked again that she realized it was coming from the door to the servant passage in the back of the room.

Expecting her sister, Morgana allowed the tears she had been holding back to once again fill her eyes. She carefully made her way across the wreckage she had caused and opened the door. When she saw Arthur on the other side of the door, she wanted to hit him and hug him at the same time.

It only took meeting his eyes for her to pull him into a hug. He looked as lost as she felt. Uther had betrayed him too. As much as she wanted to blame him for all that had happened, she knew he was not the one who had caused it all.

Arthur could not help that magic was used to conceive him. Nor that the High priestess had made sure that the queen's life was taken to create his. He had no control over Uther's madness and bloodlust. He was not the one who broke her family up and murdered her mother. He had not known that his father's former lover was hidden in the crypts with her head buried at her feet, binding her soul to her rotting corpse.

The look in his eyes said a different story. He looked as though he was entirely at fault for everything that had happened and that he regretted it all. Both of her brother were like that. They took all the blame on themselves and believed it their burden to bare. If only she could convince them to share that weight, to ask for help. But her brothers were nothing if not stubborn. It was little wonder that they were such close friends.

She did not realize she was crying until she felt Arthur's tears on her shoulder. It was just like Merlin had done after Freya. How she had become the shoulder for her brothers to cry on was beyond her. Not wanting anyone to see them like this, she pulled him into her room and shut the door.

Merlin better show up soon. She was in no way prepared for dealing with a crying Arthur. That was entirely Merlin's job.

~/\\\/\\\~

Watching the trial was hard for Gaius. He had stood beside Uther through the entire Purge, helping magic users when he could, and allowed the murdering to continue. He could have exposed some of Uther's lies, but it would have led to his own head rolling in the courtyard. He had stayed the hands of several who would have overthrown Uther, but he had Arthur to think of.

Now, all the lies and deceit were open to all. It was clear that Balinor's presence had exposed the king's unhinged mind and had Uther blaming this on the Dragonlord and "That bothersome brat." Poor Merlin flinched at the words, as they were clearly directed at him given how the mad man's eyes rarely left the boy.

It did not help that the Council had realized that Uther would answer questions asked by the poor lad and had forced him to ask their question for them. If only Merlin had not asked the king why. That one word had brought all the attention in the room down on the young man. Despite being weak from his illness, Merlin had not shown his fear or lack of energy despite the occasional flinch.

After two hours, Uther was removed from the room and then they others were questioned. Those were three of the most tiring hours Gaius could recall and he knew that Merlin was barely keeping himself upright. It was dinner that caused the Council to end their questioning. Hopefully, Merlin would not be one of the witnesses called before the Council the following day and would be allowed to rest.

Gaius way proud of how well Merlin had done. Given the circumstances, he should have been allowed to stay in his room healing, but the boy insisted that it was his duty. Whether that duty was to see justice enacted, the have the truth aired, or simply to be able to tell Arthur and Morgana what had happened after they were kept from the proceedings.

Balinor was clearly proud of his son and Gaius was proud of the man. Balinor had not tried to do anything to Uther after releasing Vivienne's spirit. Since he had been the one to report a witch in the corridors, he was required to describe her.

The Dragonlord described Vivienne as the witch, down to the High priestess mark she had placed on her forehead, which led to whispers about ghosts and revenge. It was unlikely that the Council would pin the blame of all Uther's crimes on some helpless woman who matched Balinor's description, since most of the Council had known the lady and would not be able to deny she was the woman described.

Gaius' main concerns were what they planned to do with Lady Vivienne's body and if they were going to allow Arthur to rule in his father's stead. The ruling they give will shape the future of more than just Camelot. The balance of the Five Kingdoms was in their hands, and those hand were not ones Gaius trusted.

~/\\\/\\\~

When Gwen finally finished her portion of Merlin's tasks for the day, she tried again to enter Lady Morgana's chambers. She was afraid for Morgana after everything that had happened. She had been unable to even get food to her mistress, let alone empty the chamber pot. If she was not able to get in this time, she was going to Gaius to see if he knew of a way for them to check on the lady.

When she arrived at the back entrance, she was surprised to find it slightly ajar and to hear voices from inside. Peering in, she saw the wreckage of Morgana's rage around the room. Moving further into the room, she spied the Lady Morgana sitting on her mattress, which was on the floor, comforting Prince Arthur. The maid smiled and retreated back to the door and closed it back the way she had found it. She then raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Milady? It is me, Gwen." She bit back a smile as she heard the clear signs of someone tripping over the mess on the floor.

Morgana looked like she had not slept the night before and had been crying, but she still looked better than Gwen expected for someone who just found out her mother had not abandoned her, but had been killed by her father, who had pretended she was his ward and future wife of his son. That last thought sickened her. Uther had all but proclaimed that Arthur and Morgana were betrothed, all while knowing that they shared him as their father.

Shaking that thought from her head, Gwen brought the tray of food into the room only to see the damage her Lady's anger had wrought. Gwen was not surprised at the mess, but she was confused as to why the window that Morgana had watched so many executions for had been spared. She tried not to think too hard about it as she searched the room for the second voice she had heard.

She had righted the only undamaged chair to serve as a table when she finally spotted the prince hidden behind the damaged changing screen. He was wearing a grey shirt she did not recognize and it had blended in with the two dresses that had been thrown over the wreckage of the screen, likely by Morgana to hide him. She tried not to make it obvious that she knew he was there as she started to gather the broken pieces of furniture while her mistress ate.

"Should I ready the guest chambers by prince Arthur's for you while your chambers are repaired?" She knew they would likely feel better being close to the other.

"Yes, thank you Gwen. You are a good friend." Morgana had a small smile on her face as she glanced towards the hiding prince.

"Thank you Milady. Merlin will need some help after all of this. The poor boy was to return to work today before all this happened. The Steward never let up on his list of tasks and will likely add more now that he is mostly recovered. It will be easier to help him if I am close by." Gwen winked at Morgana letting her know she knew about Arthur and her connection to Merlin.

Morgana's smile grew. "We should have someone set up the servant chamber off of Arthur's for him. Knowing how Merlin is, he would run himself ragged if he had to return to Gaius for his meals and for a bed. Besides, Merlin lives in Gaius' storage room. He should have been given a room of his own long ago."

Both girls had to keep themselves from laughing at the muffled, yet indignant noise that came from the hidden prince. The two exchanged a few more comments before Gwen left to inform the head steward of the need for the chambers to be sorted and to give Arthur a chance to leave his hiding spot. It would also give Morgana time to explain that she had two brothers to the prince.

The maid doubted that her friend would be a servant after his connection to the Lady Morgana, the secret princess, was revealed during the trial. He would likely be given a title and a minor position within the court. Hopefully, one day, he would be the advisor to Arthur when he became king. With those dreams in her mind, Gwen rushed to complete her tasks.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin was tired when the court took a break for lunch. By dinner, he was exhausted. When he learned he was needed the following day as well, Merlin felt like collapsing into his bed and never getting up again. He was slowly recovering from his breakdown after the death of Freya, but too much was happening for him to heal emotionally as well as physically.

He still feared what he could become, but the fear seemed to have less of a hold on him now. He did not know if it was the presence of Hunith, of both his sisters, or even truth about his mother, but he felt less scared and more loved than he had before Freya. Maybe, he had been afraid to let himself love anyone before her. He had always kept himself at a distance from everyone, to protect them. Will, Hunith, Arthur, Gwen, Morgana, Gaius, and Morgause were all examples of how he cared for them, cared about them, but kept himself from loving them as the family he had with them.

Now, his heart was filled with love for them and it seemed to keep the fires of of his dark thoughts and impulses at bay, putting them out if they came too close. He hoped the love would always be enough, but he needed them to be safe, otherwise, the fires would likely burn away his inhibitions and send him down the same depraved path Uther had followed. These thoughts were just as draining as the questions and truths that had flown around the court all day. Merlin wasn't sure how much more he could take.

He was asleep before he even finished undressing. He did not stir when Hunith and Gaius finished getting him ready for bed and covered him. He slept through his father and older sister coming in a casting charms over him to keep fears and nightmares at bay. He only slightly stirred when the spirit of his mother once again smoothed the very fabric of his magic within him, his soul, allowing the patterns and beauty to be revealed to others as well as himself.


	13. Trial

The trial the next day was long and tedious, lasting far longer  
than anyone had expected. The only thing that had kept Merlin awake was the man  
who had seen his mother's ghost and convinced Gaius and Sir Geoffrey to get the  
knights and search the crypts. He did not look familiar, but his presence  
seemed to be affectionate, almost like how his magic had reacted to Gaius when  
they first met, but somewhat different.

He also seemed to be hiding himself. It was clear that he was used  
to standing in a different way, he would be slumped for a long time, but then  
he would slowly stand straighter and more noble looking before noticing he had  
done it, and went back to slumping. Merlin often found himself doing the same  
thing when he attended Arthur at council meetings and banquets.

He was so absorbed it watching the man, that Merlin did not even  
notice when the council called for lunch. He pulled his focus from the man when  
he was handed food by his mentor but watched the man closely while they ate.  
He held his food like many of the nobles did, but he ate with the gusto of a  
beggar getting his first meal in days.

The oddest part about watching the man was how the longer Merlin  
watched him, the less his features looked how Merlin remembered them. The man's  
green eyes darkened to a deep brown, his hair seemed longer, darker, and had  
early signs of greying, his skin went from ruddy to a mild tan and lines  
appeared around his eyes and mouth, and his clothing went from what Merlin  
would expect of a merchant to an outfit he had only ever seen on men that had  
come down out of the mountains to trade in the villages. The longer Merlin  
looked at him, the more familiar he felt.

~/\\\/\\\~

Balinor had felt his son's eyes on him all day. He wasn't  
surprised, especially given his magic had been nuzzling Emrys' all day like a  
barn cat wanting attention. He was a bit confused when he started feeling the  
boy's gaze penetrating his glamour, slowly seeing through all of it.

He had tried not to stare back at the boy, but he had stolen a few  
glances throughout the day. Now, he looked over and saw recognition in the  
lad's eyes. Somehow, despite having been only 2 winters old when he had last  
seen him, the boy knew him.

He was not sure how he felt about that. He was not the same man he  
had been back then. He held it together until the court adjourned before  
fleeing as fast as he could to find Morgause.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgana was a mess in her mind and pristine in actuality. She  
could not focus on all the secrets that had come to light over the past few  
days or she would fly into a rage again. She wanted to do unspeakable things to  
Uther, her father, but knew she had to let the court decide his fate if there  
was to be any chance of magic being free in Camelot again.

Arthur, Gwen, even Hunith had tried to keep her mind off the  
trial, but everything around her had some tie to Uther. He was Arthur's father  
as well as her true father and guardian, He was the one who hired Gwen and  
later caused her father's death, Hunith was the person who raised her brother  
because Uther had run Balinor out of the kingdom and forced him to take her  
baby brother with him and left him with a stranger because the mad king was  
still out for his head. Every item in her room had some connection to the king  
and she wanted him dead for everything he had done.

So, to keep from destroying her room, killing the king in his cell,  
or screaming, Morgana had focused on looking perfect. Her hair was immaculate,  
not a single strand out of place, her skin looked to be flawless with a bit of  
powder, eye coloring, and lip dye, and her clothing was striking in such a way  
that she was eye catching and a bit provocative while still being within the  
bounds of modesty. She gave the impression of being completely unaffected by  
the conflict the trial was stirring up in the city and citadel.

She made a point to be seen in the kitchens, corridors,  
battlements, the upper and lower town, guardhouses, stables, kennels, and even  
the barracks. She wanted everyone to see that she was above the upheaval, but  
still cared enough about them to see how it all was affecting them. She was  
amused at how most people avoided saying their opinions on what was happening,  
just that it was a surprise that the king would do such things.

A few, mostly the elderly, openly stated their opinions on the  
trial. Some men stated that they didn't see why the council were bothering with  
a trial when it was clear that they were going to make Arthur regent and lock  
Uther up in his rooms like the madman that he is. A woman old enough to be  
Gaius' mother said she hoped the old toffs sentenced Uther to burn like all  
those innocent people he murdered over the years. An old drunk said Uther would  
have to be found innocent or the other kingdoms would try to take over while  
Arthur was learning how to manage everything.

All of it was helpful in keeping her from committing patricide and  
it gave her topics to speak to her brothers about. She even made a note to  
write to Camelot's allies in the event Uther was deposed, which she wished for  
with all her heart. She would write them now, but she did not yet know what his  
fate was to be. The letter would be very different if he was to be locked away  
verse executed or even banished.

As she went about the day making herself seen, she was all the  
while counting the minutes until her father's fate was announced. Inside, she  
was like a fire trapped in a hearth, just waiting for an accident to free her  
frustrations and burn everything around her. On the outside, she was like a  
marble statue carved by the Greek masters, tall and strong despite the turmoil  
around her, showing beauty and grace in the face of hate and lies. It would  
take more than this betrayal to make her crumble and that is what she wanted  
everyone to see.

~/\\\/\\\~

Sir Leon was a simple knight, in his own mind. He followed the  
knight's code to the letter and showed complete faith and devotion to his king  
and the laws of Camelot. Now, he was torn. His king had broken the laws of the  
kingdom and lied to its people, his loyalty was tainted by those acts, and the  
code he had lived by were being scrutinized because of the person who had set  
them in place years before the deceit and hypocrisy.

Having been a knight of Camelot since he was still in his teens  
and had been a squire to the king in his youth, Leon knew Uther Pendragon  
better than most and he was under no assumption that the king was innocent of  
the charges leveled against him. He knew of the underhandedness the king had  
been known to pull, but it was usually in the best interest of the kingdom and  
her people. But this was something different, more personal.

The king had used magic to allow his wife to bare an heir and had  
lost her as a result. Instead of taking the blame for having used such a power,  
he blamed the caster and magic itself for her death. He had then bedded a known  
practitioner of the Old Religion and sired a daughter with her.

When she refused to give up her practices, he killed her and hid  
her body in the same crypt as his own wife. After she was dead, he lied to her  
husband for years before orchestrating his death to get his illegitimate child,  
the Lady Morgana, under his roof all the while killing anyone associated with  
magic or the old ways.

He had been there when the king told the body of his long dead  
lover that if either of her children showed the slightest sign of magic, they  
would die as well. It was clear to everyone in the five kingdoms and even Gaul  
that Uther cared deeply for his ward, enough so to go to war if anyone was to  
so much as speak ill of her, yet he would willingly put her to death if she  
showed the slightest indication of following her mother's path. If he was  
willing to kill a child of his that he truly loved, what was to keep him from  
destroying the kingdom to fulfil some twisted form of revenge? There was  
nothing except this trial and Prince Arthur.

After he had given his testimony, he, unlike others such as Gaius and young Merlin, had been allowed to leave the chamber and continue his duties. When the Lady Morgana came out to the barracks, looking as though an angel had flown down out of the heavens, he offered to escort her to keep those who may wish to take their advantage at a distance. She had given him a smile that almost felt sincere, but he had known her too long for him to fall for, so he offered to spar with her in the evening. The smile was genuine when she accepted the offer.

The happy look on her face brought back long-forgotten feelings of an old crush he thought was long gone. He had always assumed that she was to be Arthur's wife, but now that he knew that they were siblings, old feelings came bubbling back to the surface. If only she shared them.

Instead of focusing on that melancholy thought, Sir Leon ready to himself for his match with the lady that evening. The look that Gwen gave him when he asked for her help in readying the lady Morgana's armor was one he had not seen in many years. It was the same look she had given him years before when he first giving up his crush on the lady. It was a look of sadness mixed with fond hope, a look that hit only ever seen on the faces of the female members of Gwen's family.

It seems like no time at all before it was time for the lady Morgana to arrive at the training grounds. Sparring with her was both fun and exhilarating. She was truly a masterful sword woman. He rarely had such a hard-pressed match with anyone other than Prince Arthur. it was definitely something he had missed doing over the past few years. maybe now that Uther was no longer keeping her from practicing her skills, they would be able to do this more often.

As they exchange blows, he watched at the tension ran out of her body tension he hadn't even known was there until it was gone. Her stern look quickly faded into a smug smirk and joy look glisten in her eyes as time went on. He was actually sad when it all came to an end, but they had both heard the trumpets. The king's fate had been decided and it was time to face the decision of the council.

~/\\\/\\\~

"-Until which time the king is deemed free of his mental affliction or death take him from us, Prince Arthur will rule Camelot as regent in his stead. Long Live the King!"

The replied "Long Live the King!" was halfhearted at best from the town folks and that gave Hunith hope. If those of the town wished for Uther to be gone, then maybe they would be open to the return of magic and her Merlin and his family would be free. That was one thing she wished for with all her heart.


	14. Plots

Morgause was torn. She wanted Uther to suffer, locked away for the rest of his days. She also wanted him gone so she could openly be there for her siblings, so Balinor could allow Merlin to see him, so magic could become free.

She knew neither choice was fair to the Prince regent. Arthur did not deserve the hardships he was about to face. He was likely going to have to defend his kingdom's borders one way or the other.

She had very little pull with the kingdoms. She had Cenred's eye and given time, she could make it more, but she doubted he would hold off his lust for Camelot just for his lust for her. She would have an easier time deposing him and letting his cousin Lot take the throne.

She could increase her influence in the kingdom's if she married into royalty, but Arthur was the only male heir. Cenred and Lot had no children, Odin had lost his son in a fight with Arthur, and the other kingdoms had princesses to lead them when their fathers' could no longer rule or hated magic more than Uther did. If she tried for the older kings, she would be under scrutiny by the heirs of those lands and their nobles.

Given that she was not going to try to woo a princess, for various reasons, she did not have many options. There were always high born lords, but they did not have enough influence individually. Given her brother's destiny, she could try to get the Catha and other magical communities to help protect Camelot, but they wouldn't even consider it unless the laws against magic were rescinded or Emrys himself came to them.

Not sure what to do, Morgause laid on her bed reading an old grimoire in her lonely hidden fortress. It was moments like this she wished she could spirit her family away from the secrets they had to keep to stay alive and have them live with her. Sadly, neither of her siblings would leave without the prince, and poor Arthur would be missed greatly now that he was effectively ruling the kingdom now. So she would stay here alone, in study, until she was needed or she was free to openly walk the streets of Camelot, wishing for Uther's passing.

~/\\\/\\\~

Balinor was on edge. Emrys seemed to know who he was, the trial had gone too smoothly for his liking, and Lord de Bois, the King's brother-in-law, had just arrived in the city. Then there was Kilgharrah all but demanding his freedom, Morgause being nowhere to be found, and the fact he was now known as the man who discovered the King's lies.

He could go nowhere without stares and whispers. He could change the glamour, but then everyone would wonder where his other persona had vanished to. A search of the citadel and city was not something Arthur needed to deal with right now.

He was not able to spend time with Gaius or Hunith due to his son's presence and the eyes on him constantly. Similar issues kept him from spending more than a few minutes with Morgana. And with Geoffrey and Arthur not knowing who he really was, he could not spend time with them either. His boredom mixed with his inability to do anything without being watched and the presence of Agravaine de Bois, he was on edge.

He and the slimeball noble had known each other since they were toddlers. Their mothers had been good friends and had drifted apart after Ygraine married Uther. He didn't know if Agravaine knew, but both of his half sisters had died due to Camelot's king.

After Ygraine's birth, both Lord de Bois and Tristaine had fallen ill. The sickness left them both sterile and Agravaine was conceived after that, between the Lady de Bois and Lord Le Fay. That made the Lady Vivienne just as much his sister as the late Queen of Camelot. If the prince's uncle did know of his parentage, Uther was as good as dead.

That was another point of tension for the Dragonlord. He both wanted the King dead for his actions, but wanted him to live so Arthur could have a father. That was why he was planning on meeting the vile noble tonight with his real face.

~/\\\/\\\~

Arthur was at his desk surrounded by towers of paperwork he was in no mind set to complete. He wanted Merlin to help him sort the piles, to talk him through his thoughts, or even to just be a comforting presence. Instead of his friend, he had his uncle sitting across and thoughts about what Nimueh and his mother's spirits had said.

If Morgause was as much Agravaine's niece as he was the Lord's nephew, then was his real father Gorlois' father or Vivienne's. Either way, the King was the reason for the death of all of Agravaine's siblings. Given when he showed up, he was planning something against Uther.

He needed to discuss this with Merlin, but his friend was still healing and just found out that the King of Camelot thought he might be one of his illegitimate children. If Merlin really was Vivienne's son, then he lost his mother, lived with someone else for years, came to Camelot, found out the King killed and hid the body of your mother, and then had to sit through days of a trial, while recovering from illness, where all the details about how and why her murder had happened. He really did not need to pile his own issues on Merlin's mound of emotional turmoil.

So here he was, pretending he was trying to work on the backlog of paperwork left unfinished due to his father's trial so that he didn't have to face another lying family member. Luckily, his uncle seemed too preoccupied with the arrangement of the room notice no papers were actually being read or signed. But who knew how long it would distract Agravaine, it was the same as it had been for the past 10 years, but that was still more recent than the Lord's last visit. Last time the man had been in the city was just after Morgana had come to live in the citadel.

Arthur started to contemplate that information in addition to his earlier thoughts on his Uncle's parentage. Had Agravaine known Morgana was his niece at that time? Had Uther? Was that the reason the two had argued just before the Lord's departure?

All further thoughts on the subject were startled from his mind as a loud band rang out into the room. Both men jumped to their feet to see the main door to the Prince's chamber was wide open. The sight of the figure in the doorway caused Arthur to gulp.

~/\\\/\\\~

When he heard his loathsome brother-in-law was on trial in his own court, he tried to get all the information on the situation as he could. Learning Uther had been replaced by Arthur, he wasted no time in leaving for Camelot. The word around the city was that the body of one of the King's lovers had been found in the royal crypt and how she had been beheaded and laid to rest near the late Queen.

It took some digging, but he finally got some details. It had been the Lady Vivienne's body that had been found when the King had gone to the ossuary to talk to the dead woman. A witch sighting had lead to a group of knights to the catacombs where they overheard the King's incriminating conversation in the tomb.

The trial proved Uther was not of sound mind and that had been why he had committed several crimes. The king was restricted to his chambers where his insanity was being treated by the court physician. Since he was in no state to rule, Arthur had been named Prince Regent.

After a bit more digging, Agravaine found out that not only did Uther admit that Lady Morgana was his daughter, but that the prince's manservant was Vivienne's son and possibly Uther's as well. That meant if he killed the two responsible for Ygraine's death, he would still have a niece and nephew, one of which had enough royal blood to allow her to rule Camelot. All he needed was a way to remove the Pendragons from the throne.

He had gone to visit his blonde nephew to justify his trip to Camelot, but after noting the new configuration of the room gave him an idea. He could hire an assassin from a hostile kingdom, give them the layout of Arthur's and Uther's rooms, and let the other kingdom take the fall. With that in mind, he let the Prince do his paperwork while he memorized the room.

When the door to the room flew open with a bang, the two of them jumped out of their chairs. In the entry was the Lady Morgana. She had a look of a wild woman.

"Arthur. Why did it take the council two days to release me from my room? I have been trapped in there for nearly a week." Her voice was icy calm.

"I was told you had been released. I swear Morgana, I would have gotten you out myself if I had known." Agravaine heard the slight amusement in the prince's voice and watched as his niece's eyes narrowed.

"Why?" The nobleman watched as his nephew walked over to her and whispered in her ear.

The Lord watched as the anger faded and was replaced by an emotionless mask. She meet his eyes as her brother continued to whisper. Her gaze felt like she was looking inside him for his most hidden secrets.

"Alright. You are forgiven for now. But I expect you to apologize properly later." Her face softened as she looked at the blonde.

"Guinevere is already working on your new dress. You are to be acknowledged as a Princess of Camelot and the next heir to the throne should something happen to me." Agravaine felt like smiling as his plan got easier.

"I don't blame you. I already knew before this." How had she known?

"What! How?" Sadly, he and his nephew thought alike.

"A little bird told me." That confused Agravaine even more.

"I should have told you right after I found out." Was this some sort of familiar reference the two shared?

"We both knew, so what does it matter now? We will continue and right his numerable wrongs." He needed them at odds if his plan was to succeed.

"Go look in on him for me will you? I haven't seen him since before the trial." Was he referring to Uther?

"Of course." Her face was soft with understanding. "And I will ask Gwen about my dress at the same time. Two birds and all that." As Morgana left and Arthur returned to his paperwork, the traitorous Lord was left standing in confusion.

~/\\\/\\\~

She had been furious when she had been released from her room a full day and a half after Uther's fate had been announced. The first day, the day of the proclamation, she understood. They wanted her to process what had happened and allow her to come to terms with it all. The following day was what angered her.

She had already written the letters to all the rulers and as many of the high lords as she could remember, of Five Kingdoms explaining what had taken place and what was expected of them, so she was trapped in her room with nothing to do. Gwen had stopped by long enough give her meals and tidy quickly before going to help Gaius tend to Uther and his rapidly changing emotions, so she hasn't even had someone to talk to. This left her to dwell on her thoughts and build her anger.

When she stormed into Arthur's chambers, she had not expected to see Him there. Agravaine was a human clinker. He was a maggot that seemed to think he was a viper. He was the embodiment of all the things she hated about nobles of the court.

She had met him not long after Gorlois had been killed and she had come to live in Camelot. He had told her he was her and Arthur's uncle and had scared her with his questions, comments, and attitude. She asked Uther to help her hide from the man and the two adults had ended up in a row before the blaggard left.

When Arthur left for summers with his uncle, she went with him to the meeting point before returning to the city. Her impression of the man only lowered with time. Now he was here, standing in her brother's room looking as proud as a stallion in field with fillies and mares. It made her sick.

Instead of focussing on the dingleberry, she turned her attention to the other person in the room, "Arthur. Why did it take the council two days to release me from my room? I have been trapped in there for nearly a week."

Arthur pulled his most innocent face, a copy of Merlin's, and responded with barely controlled mirth, "I was told you had been released. I swear Morgana, I would have gotten you out myself if I had known."

He was trying to distract Agravaine with his actions, whatever for? "Why?"

He let his emotions shoe on his face once his uncle was too his back. He looked worn out, frustrated, and melancholy. He leaned over to her ear and explained.

"I told them to hold you longer when I heard Agravaine was coming. I believe he is going to try to kill the king and possibly me." She looked up and met the man's eyes.

He looked mildly startled, but held her eyes. She could see that he had plans and she was part of them. The termite seemed to think it owned the stable.

"I cannot go and talk to Merlin about his, he has enough to manage and I am only telling you because you are here. Someone needs to watch him. I don't want to, but I do have work to do. Warn Gaius and get Guinevere to alert the staff." He sounded so resigned and it hurt to hear it.

"Alright. You are forgiven for now. But I expect you to apologize properly later." That caused confusion to bloom on the slimy dosser's face.

"Guinevere is already working on your new dress. You are to be acknowledged as a Princess of Camelot and the next heir to the throne should something happen to me." A mixture of fondness and understanding filled her at his words.

"I don't blame you. I already knew before this." She should have let him know that she knew, but that would have meant letting him know about her connection to Merlin and their magic.

"What! How?" Agravaine looked even more confused than Arthur, pity it was a family trait.

"A little bird told me." The twitch of the blonde's eyebrows let her know he had almost rolled his eyes, because who else had to know besides Merlin?

"I should have told you right after I found out." That was true, but she did not blame him for it.

"We both knew, so what does it matter now? We will continue and right his numerable wrongs." She knew he understood she meant more than just Uther killing her mother.

"Go look in on him for me will you?" Her heart fluttered at his acknowledgment of fondness for her baby brother. "I haven't seen him since before the trial."

She smiled and let her love hour her boys show. "Of course. And I will ask Gwen about my dress at the same time. Two birds and all that."

She reached out and gently squeezed his hand before heading to find Balinor. He was the perfect person to keep an eye on Agravaine. Once she was sure he knew everything, she would go to Gaius, speak to Gwen, say hello to Hunith, and look in on Merlin. With the plan set in her mind, Morgana headed for the lodging given to the Dragonlord by the council for the duration of the trial.


	15. Factum

It took less than a minute for the plan in Balinor's mind to change after his talk with Morgana. If Arthur knew about Agravaine's intent, he would likely have someone watching the lord as well as the entire staff being on the lookout. He would need an alibi, a new glamour, and the will not to murder the noble.

He waited until just before dinnertime and made his way to his room with a plate of food from the kitchens, he then snuck out the backway with a glamour of a much younger servant, made his way to the kitchens, again, claimed he was the new manservant to Lord de Bois, collected a different plate of food and a pitcher of weakened wine, and made his way to see his late lover's half brother. The pompous man told him he was late, complained that the wine wasn't at full strength, and threatened to have his pay docked. Balinor relished the look of shock on the noble's face when he dropped the glamour as he slammed his hands down on the table right in front of him.

He stood up straight, looked the fiend in the eye and said, "Hello Agravaine."

"B-Balinor! You are here?" The lord looked oddly conflicted.

"Is it really so surprising?" He received an acknowledging look at that question.

"You must be here because poor Vivienne's remains were found. You had that time with her, it would make sense to come pay your respects." Anger pooled in the Dragonlord's gut at the passive way the man had said that.

"How do you think they found your sister's body? Uther gave himself away because he wanted to know if he had another son. I simply had to send men down to catch him in the act." The noble had the nerve to look impressed.

Agravaine picked up a slice of cheese and played with at he spoke. "You started a coup to depose Uther. I never would have thought you capable of such a thing. I only wish I had thought of it first."

"I saw an opportunity and I took it." The lord raised an eyebrow and ate the piece of food he had been fiddling with.

"As you say." He sipped his wine and gestured with he goblet as he continued, "Still, it was uncanny timing."

Balinor scoffed. "You are no better. It is clear that you are only here to gain the trust of Camelot's heir. Neither of the Pendragon children will help you."

The lord balked at that. "Am I to take your word on that? As I see it, you came to the city to overthrow the King, as a man hunted by the very man you dethroned, to manipulate his children."

That hurt the disgraced noble more than he would care to admit. "That sound more like you than I."

He wanted to step back at the penetrating stare he received from Agravaine. "Have you sunk your claws into Vivienne's daughter yet? Reminding her of your time defiling her mother? Leaving her to a wretched childhood under the man who murdered her mother?"

Balinor had to hold back the fury that insinuation. "Morgana is a good sister to her siblings. She will not sit by while you destroy her brother. Be glad it is me and not and not one of Vivienne's girls. Or worse, her son."

"A serving boy?" The fiend scoffed then laughed at that. "That is amusing Balinor. What next, magic free in Camelot? I think not."

Trying to remain stoic, the Dragonlord responded, "You have no idea what has happened over the past few years. If I was in your place, I would be more cautious. Be warned, if you try anything against the prince, you will have some of the most powerful practitioners of magic out for your blood."

With nothing else to add, the former lord turned and headed for the door.

"Should I expect Nimueh to protect the son of her worst enemy?" Balinor smiled a feral grin at that.

"Nimueh tried to take revenge on Uther and it now dust blowing around on the Isle of the Blessed. She and many others have tried to harm the prince and all of them are dead." He heard a soft gasp from the Prince's uncle and recast his glamour before leaving.

He was back in his own room and eating his own dinner when he realized he had not told the dosser to leave Uther alone. He could not find it in himself to care much. If the King died, so be it. Arthur would heal and come out stronger for it.

~/\\\/\\\~

With the stress of his new position, his uncle's clear deceit, and his father's "madness", Arthur did not want to host the peace summit with all of these other kingdoms right now, but was too late to call it off. Morgana's heir ceremony was tomorrow, then the other kings would start arriving within the week. He hoped Merlin would be better by then and that his uncle would see he was unwanted and leave by then, but he rarely had good luck let alone that wonderful of luck. He needed their continued alliance, but right now he just wanted time to accustom himself to his new duties.

He just thanked his blessings that he had Morgana by his side. She was covering his old duties, other than knight training, much to her ire. With her lightening his load, he was able to get most of what needed done completed before midnight. Once Merlin was back, the prince was sure the process would go quicker and smoother.

His servant was slowly getting better. He was mostly over the illness he had caught, though still dangerously thin according to Gaius, but it and the trial had left him exhausted and too worn out to return to work just yet. Hopefully, with his mother figure there to help, he would gain back some of the mass he had lost in his grief.

The two of them had yet to talk about the druid girl's death and the Prince's part in it. Arthur blamed himself for what happened to her and Merlin's resulting health issues. However, he doubted his friend blamed him any of it, that was just how Merlin was.

The fact that Morgana was possibly both of their sister was another thing they had not discussed. In a way, the prince was concerned that Merlin might have the exact same parents as their sister. Nimueh and his mother had claimed Uther had tried to father children with Vivienne for years. Was there a chance that Merlin was a prince if Camelot by blood?

He hoped not. Not because he didn't want another claim to the throne, a peasant prince, or to have his servant become a noble. No, it was so his friend's father was not man who had his mother hunted, murdered, and hidden. Merlin deserved a real father and Uther had never known how to be a proper parent.

What if his real father was also dead because of Camelot's King? That would be almost as bad as Uther being Merlin's father. If only he could speak to the Lady Vivienne like he had his own mother.

Morgause might be able to summon her spirit, but would the sorceress wish to do so to her own mother? Would it we as draining as last time? He would never make Merlin or Morgana watch the priestess go through that. Merlin had already seen that and he deserved better.

That was when it hit the prince. Had Merlin known Morgause was likely his sister back then? Was that why he had been so worried about her when she collapsed? He seemed to believe Morgana was his sister when druid girl had died and during his decline in health. If he hid that, what else had he been too scared to share?

He didn't blame Merlun for being secretive about his possible connection to the King's ward and a known sorceress in a kingdom where you could be killed for even being seen with someone thought to have a connection to magic and could be banished for being too close to the King's secret love child. He just wished the poor boy had not been forced to sneak around, like with the girl. If the kingdom was more fair, Morgana, Morgause, and maybe Merlin, would still have their mother, Gwen would still have her father, and Merlin never would have needed to hide his love with a druid girl, partially because she never would have been brought into the city chained up in a cage. No one could blame Merlin for any of it, especially not Arthur.

Everything fell squarely on Uther's shoulders. All blame for countless unnecessary deaths, families torn asunder, and the need for lies and secrets. The entire kingdom would have been better off if the king had died instead of the queen. Immense guilt rushed through him for that stray thought.

He loved his king, mad or sane. He knew his father loved him too, in his own strange way. He just wished Uther had listened to his wife and hadn't needlessly slaughtered anything to do with the power he used to impregnate his queen, just because one magic user used their power to trade the life of the mother for the babe.

Arthur knew his mother didn't blame him for her death, she didn't even blame Uther, she blamed Nimueh. It had been the priestess's decision to take her kin's life on the slim change it would grant the Prince of Camelot the ability to use magic. That plan ended up creating the opposite reaction she wanted, leading to the mass murder of anyone with any attachment to the practice. If the person killed could see where the blame lay, why couldn't Uther? It reminded him of his mother's words.

"That stubborn Idiot! I told him The the price of gaining something precious and something equally so would be taken. Did the man listen? No! He passes it off as pregnant ranting and then kills thousands when he realized his mistake!"

His father had been mentally unhinged for decades. He took his frustration out on an entire people without a sign of remorse other than his hidden lover. He even used it as an excuse to kill anyone he felt was undeserving of attention from him or his children.

"Has he ever threatened you like that?"

"When I was eight, I tried to protect my tutor from him. I was forced to watch the man whipped to death and then I was made the squire of the cruelest knight in the garrison. If I hadn't been the prince, I believe I would have died under his 'care'."

"Does a man who would do that to his own son deserve to sit on the throne and rule the lives of thousands? He deserves-"

"Our pity. Uther deserves our pity."

Merlin knew of the King's sins and crimes, yet offered the man compassion. He acted understanding towards a man who had wronged him so thoroughly, whether the boy knew what had been done to him by the royal or not. It made Merlin a bigger and better man than the Ruler of Camelot, recent past or current.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause had known about the peace talks soon to happen in Camelot, but she had assumed they were to be postponed or cancelled when the king was arrested. When she received a message from Morgana stating that Agravaine de Bois was in the city, her little sister was being crowned as a princess of Camelot and Arthur's heir, and the royals of the neighboring kingdoms participating in the summit were going to be arriving in the next few days, she knew she was needed in the city. She and Balinor could keep the Prince Regent's uncle from stirring up trouble and the priestess would put an end to any trick Alined and his pet magician tried to pull.

She readied her armor and anything else she may want over the next week or so and and made her way to Camelot. She sent Balinor a note letting him know she was going to be in the tunnels if he needed her and that she planned on meeting her uncle in the morning. She also sent mental greetings to her siblings while she was settling into her makeshift lodgings. It was going to be a long week.

~/\\\/\\\~

Hearing that his oldest sister was in the city, Merlin felt himself relax a little. If she was here then Arthur and Morgana would have someone to watch their backs. He wished he hadn't let himself fall apart so badly and had taken care of his body after Freya's death so he could help Morgause.

If only he could figure out why that man at the trial was so familiar and why he had changed appearances over the course of the day. It had been bothering him for the past few days. It was haunting his thoughts and dreams. How could he know the man and not recognize him?

Was he someone from one if the shops in the city? A peddler? One of the people he had passed on his way to Camelot? Wouldn't his magic have reacted to them back then if any of those were the answer? He doubted he would rest properly until he knew.

An hour later, he was proved wrong. Just after Merlin fell into a restless slumber, the man who was troubling his thoughts came into his room. A quick spell and a kind hand pushed away the stress and worry in the boy's mind, allowing him to sleep deeply.


	16. Acknowledgement

There had been a fair bit of descent in the council about Morgana's new titles and her being named prince's heir until he had a child. Arthur felt as though he should bow to their experience, but he stood firm on the subject and his sister was soon crowned a princess of Camelot and heir to the throne. The blonde was beyond proud of how well it had all gone.

Morgana had looked more like a warrior than a lady of the court in the outfit Guinevere had made her. It was gown of Pendragon red, a golden dragon on the train so it looked like a knight's cloak, over her thin chainmail, her plackart worked as a corset, and the vambraces held the cuff of the slit sleeves that showed off her mailed arms. She had even pledged her sword to him which lead to a hubbub of whispered reactions.

They had quieted down when they realized Morgana was being adopted by their Prince Regent like the Romans to be his heir until which time his own future child came of age or she ascended to the throne upon his death. This meant the council, the king, or even her blood relations could not marry her off without her approval. This also bound her house to Pendragons more than even if Uther had openly claimed her as his daughter years ago and it made her heir to the de Bois estate since Agravaine had no children.

Arthur buried the urge to smirk at the baffled look on his uncle's face. He had just cut away any possible power Agravaine could have tried to gather as the only living male family member older than her on her mother's side or her Pater familias since it had come to light during Uther's trial that Vivienne's written will that she had wanted her children to go to her family in the event of Gorlois and her death. By adopting Morgana, he kept not only her from their uncle but any other children the lady had, including Morgause and, possibly, Merlin.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause was highly amused by her uncle's sudden attempt to prove Prince Arthur could not legally adopt Morgana. He produced proof he was their mother's brother and said that meant Morgana should have been left in his care after Gorlois had been killed. He even told Sir Geoffrey and the council that his falling out with Uther had been over the guardianship of the then 8-year-old.

It didn't seem to matter to the lord that Gorlois had given Morgana to Uther and that since the knight had died after his wife that been declared dead, his wishes were legally more binding than a will discovered more than a decade after she became the ward of Camelot. Neither did the fact Uther had given Arthur permission to adopt her in front of three witnesses and that Morgana had accepted when asked. He just seemed to get louder the more they made sense.

Personally, Morgause had been surprised that Arthur had taken this route to solidify Morgana's position before the rulers arrived for the summit. This would remove the possibility of her sister being married off to reinforce ties between kingdoms. Morgana was now heir to three estates, a nation, and a powerful legacy. But not just her, Merlin too. The prince still didn't know for sure that Merlin was truly Lady Vivienne's son and therefore Morgana's brother, but he covered that possibility when he tied himself to their family by adopting his own sister.

This also meant she, the High Priestess Morgause la Fey, was also bound to the new leader of Camelot. She nearly made King Alined's pet magician soil himself by mentioning it when she asked what he had planned. If he tried anything after that, she would be surprised because Arthur and she were far scarier than that balding, royal fire-fanner.

~/\\\/\\\~

Balinor and Morgause had been very busy keeping Agravaine in his place and vetting those coming into the city for magic and ill intent. Trickler nearly soiled himself when Morgause cornered him and she seemed convinced he wouldn't be trying anything. Balinor was less sure about that, but that was because he knew Alined and how persuasive he could be to those serving him.

They caught two spies and an assassin, but otherwise it was quiet. Most of the kingdoms seemed to be honourable in their intentions and were just curious about the implications of the prince being made regent on their standing treaties and agreements. Seeing as the spies had been from nations not part of the summit and the assassin had been from Odin, who hated Arthur for killing his son in duel, the pair were not overly worried about them. What was worrying the Dragonlord was how few people were using this time to slip into the city.

Was there a reason no one was taking advantage of the crowd? They had been expecting revenge hungry sorcerers, curious druids, and a lot of foreign agents gathering information on Camelot and Arthur to send back to their masters. Four was a far smaller number than the two of them had expected and it was putting Balinor on edge.

~/\\\/\\\~

Outside of Camelot, groups of Druids, priesthood initiates, and elderly magic practitioners were using their skills to scry into the citadel and city, making sure those who harm the Once and Future King never arrived, and waiting the final fate of Uther Pendragon.

~/\\\/\\\~

Agravaine was furious. In a single act, Arthur took away his claim to his family land, severed his right to guide his nieces and nephews, humiliated him in front of all the nobility in Camelot, and made everyone wary of him. Before he had hated mostly Uther for forcing Ygraine to bare a child and forcing himself on Vivienne, but now he hate the father and son with equal measure.

He had tried to get assassins and murderers into the castle to off them both, but they never seemed to make it past the guards at the gates and on the walls. He had thought Balinor was behind it, but he was busy combing the crowds for malicious magic users. Neither Morgana nor Merlin seemed inclined toward the practices of their mother, so they could not be behind it. There was his eldest niece, Morgause, but he doubted she would bother given what the two Pendragons had taken from her. He couldn't think of a single reason why they never arrived without one of those few being behind it.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin had been in almost constant contact with one or more of the druids out in the forest removing the nits before they hatched. He never asked them to protect the man and kingdom that has hunted them like vermine to be exterminated, but they had been going it anyway. They let him know what was happening in the citadel, unlike everyone else he knew.

Gaius was barely letting him leave his bed and seemed to think not talking to him would encourage him to rest. Hunith spent most of the time trying to stuff him with food or trying to trick him into sleeping. Arthur and Morgana were busy ruling and being good hosts to visit for more than a few minutes, Gwen was being run ragged and came in too exhausted to tell him much before someone would escort her home to rest, and Morgause had to remain hidden otherwise all her work would be fore nothing. This meant he knew nothing going on outside of the Physician Chambers other than what the druids were telling him.

He spent most of his time reading or learning from those who were reaching out to him and willing to teach Emrys. Most of it was history, but he learned a few spells and how to heal his body quicker through meditation. That was part of how he found out about his new ability.

Merlin had been meditating when Gaius came up to check on him. Merlin vaguely heard his name called a few times before a hand touched his arm. That contact sent images flashing through his mind in a single instant.

_Fear as they felt themselves falling and then the pain as they came to a stop._

_Watching a man sew up a badly bleeding gash._

_Screaming as a girl fell from a tree, running to her side, holding her hand as her broken leg was set._

_Seeing a middle aged woman's body being cleaned for burial while crying in absolute misery._

_Standing in front of a young Uther, winding bandages around his badly bruised torso._

_Holding a screaming baby, a blonde woman bleeding out, frustration and sorrow at not being able to save her, Uther's dead looking face with hatred burning in his eyes._

_Pure self-loathing, anger, resignation while watching a monstrous pyre being built, saying goodbye to a blonde woman with grey starting to invade her golden strands._

_Drugging a younger version of the man from the trial, loading his limp form into a barrow, secreting him from the city with the corpses, sending him off with a letter._

_Receiving a letter from Hunith, tears of happiness, and low simmering anger._

_Rocking a weeping blonde boy, anger aimed at someone other than the boy, frustration, pity, and longing as he hugged the child sleeping in his arms._

_Anger, pity, and resignation watching a dark-haired girl ride into Camelot with two knights._

_The terrifying pull of falling that was quickly banished by the warmth of caring magic, turning to see themself staring worriedly, recognition, warm and caring feelings laced with worry, fear, and pride._

_Horror as they watched themself collapse while gasping for breath, resignation at finding the cause, worry and hope as Arthur left to find the cure, awe at the sight of himself using magic while sick and unconscious, panic as their breathing stopped, pure sorrow and pain, relief, love, and joy at themself looking disgusted at them and Gwen._

_Realisation that themself had traded their life for Arthur's, dying Hunith arriving, giving their life for themself, pride and wonder that they were both alive, realizing that Nimueh was dead and she had paid the life debt._

_Fear and worry as Adrian arrived in Camelot, terror when themself was accused, taking the blame for the planted magical item when it was used to prove themself's guilt, pain, fear, determination, relief, telling Uther off in a steady voice, them and themself comforting each other at dinner._

_Themself slowly wasting away, helplessness, themself locking their mind away from the pain._

"Merlin!" Gaius voice accompanied by a light shake pulled him from his trance and pushed the new memories back enough for him not to lose himself in them.

He looked up to see just worried his guardian was. "Sorry, Gaius. I was meditating…"

Despite dropping his eyes from Gaius's face to his own hands, he could feel the stress, fear, and panic dissipate from his mentor's body and be replaced with interest, relief, curiosity. He felt bad for it, but he was relieved when the physician broke contact with him. Without the physical touch, his ability to feel the other's emotions faded back to the usual level.

"I only came up to let you know Lord Agravaine is downstairs wishing to speak with you." Merlin stiffened at the idea of interacting with his uncle.

"Is Mum around?" His voice shook a little bit, but it only seemed to bring a smile to Gaius's face.

"She left to gather lunch from the kitchens. She should be back soon. Would like to wait to see him after she returns?" Not trusting his voice not to crack, he nodded in response.

When the physician left the room, Merlin reached out to the healer who had taught him to meditate. He had some time before Hunith returned and he wanted to use it to find out how he had done what he did with Gaius and how. He did not need that happening without warning while he was talking to Agravaine de Bois.

~/\\\/\\\~

It was not unusual to hear odd noises from King Uther's room. After his trial, his room had been scored for any items he could use to harm himself. All glass and pottery items were removed, curtains removed, spare clothing, towels, and bed clothes were relocated, weapons placed under lock and key in the armory, even the fire tending tools were removed. This was why Sir Leon wasted no time investigating the room when he heard the sound of breaking glass.

He found the window broken and the king gagged and suspended over his bed by two ropes binding his throat to the bed pillars. The knight and his fellow guard raced to the strangling man and cut him down. The knot was not loosening, so Leon began cutting it away while sending his companion to get Gaius and sounding the alarm. Someone had tried to kill Uther.


	17. Chaos

Gaius had been making potion, ignoring the Lord at his table, and waiting for Hunith to return when the guard burst into the room. When he heard someone attempted to strangle Uther, he wasted no time in collecting his tools, especially his intubation supplies and Hippocrates' text on the subject. He made it to the King's chambers, settled his medical box down, and began examining the man when his breathing started getting thinner.

Given how quickly the King's neck was swelling, the physician had no choice but to put a breathing tube down Uther's throat. Pulling out his vinegar softened, hollow crane humerus from his supplies and lightly lubricated it with oil of olives. It took precious time that the suffocating man likely didn't have, but eventually, Gaius was rewarded by gasping gulps of air through the tube.

Once he was certain his patient wasn't going to suffocate, he began tending to the external damage. The entire neck was swelling with bruises and there were raw patches, where the cord had rubbed off the skin, that were bleeding as well as knicks from the knife used to cut away the rope and nails as Uther has tried to claw at his binds. There was also damage to the King's hands and nails from said clawing.

He was so busy tending to his old friend that he did not notice when the prince joined the group of onlookers. It wasn't until he was clearing away his supplies that he saw Arthur staring at his injured father to an unreadable look. Given what his father had done and what had just happened to the man, it was understandable that the boy had mixed emotions about the situation.

The Prince Regent did not speak to him, but he did call for a meeting with the visiting royals and for guards to be stationed inside and outside the King's door, inside by the shattered window, and on the ground below the window before leaving. As much as Gaius wanted to join the meeting, he knew his patient came first. Uther was still very weak, there was still chance of complications, so it was going to be a long night without listening to highborns balk at the possibility that they are suspected in attempted regicide.

And a long night it was. Giving a potions for the swelling meant carefully removing the one thing allowing Uther to breathe through his swollen throat, getting the dazed and panicking man to down the draughts, then re-inserting the flexible bone tube. The warmth growing in the bruised flesh surrounding his entire neck was worrying too.

By dawn, Gaius felt it was safe enough to let someone else tend the king while he rested. Uther was asleep too, thankfully. So when Gwen came to sit with the stricken man, the physician went to the room next door and slept until mid morning.

By midday, the swelling was down enough that Gaius felt to would be better for Uther if the tube was removed rather than leaving it in to cause additional irritation. The king was still having trouble breathing, but he was getting enough air that there was little fear of suffocation on the part of the patient as well as physician. That was when Gaius finally had a chance to speak with Arthur.

It seemed that the other kingdoms seemed to think finding Uther's attacker needed completed before summit continued, many suspecting their fellow royals of the act. This was why they were all still in Camelot a week later when one of Alined's servants came forward to admit to treating Trickler for a twisted knee and picking glass from his wounds under the order of his king. Gaius then heard that the poor sorcerer had been found locked in the King Alined's wardrobe suffering from the earlier conditions as well as massive bruises and fractured ribs where he appeared to have been kicked repeatedly. Both Alined and Trickler were to face trial judged by all the gathered kings that very day. Arthur, only being a Prince, was not to be part of the proceedings, which was why he was in the room with Gaius and his father when the King of Camelot had been struck by apoplexy.

It had happened as Uther had gotten up to relieve himself. He just seemed to not be able to stand on his right leg mid stride, causing him to fall to the floor. Given the droopiness of the King's face, Gaius had little doubt as to what had happened.

Given that the cuts and rope burns around the stricken man's neck were still weeping, even a week after the attack, and the whole area was highly bruised, the physician could not risk thinning the King's blood or other humors to help the brain with the apoplexy. This meant one of two things, either Uther would be permanently weakened on that side of his body or it would kill him before the month was out. Neither were good news to the scared son by his side.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause could not believe she had not seen it coming. Alined would do just about anything for power, but she had never thought he would have attacked Camelot so directly. Tricking Arthur into flirting with King Olaf's daughter to build tension between the two kingdoms? Yes. Sending his personal sorcerer to strangle Uther in his own room? No. It wasn't like him at all.

~/\\\/\\\~

Balinor could not believe how idiotic everyone around him was. After posing as a guard under Uther's window for a day, it was as clear os fresh spring water that Trickler was not the one who tried to hang the king. It was obvious.

First, there was no glass missing from what had shattered on the ground, he knew this because he was the "servant" who had been tasked with cleaning the shards up, so where did the glass pulled from the sorcerer's cuts? Second, the window had been locked when it was broken and what kind of moron locks himself in the room with your target? Third, the hole in the panes was too small for Trickler to fit through. Fourth, if the man has jumped from that height, he would have more than a twisted knee and some glass filled cuts. Fifth, there should at least a little blood on the glass collected, which he gave the court when they asked for it. Six, how did he set up that complex way of hanging Uther without the the king making a sound, since the guards heard the shuffling and the glass breaking? Seventh, even if he had used magic to control his victim, how was there enough sound to attract the guards so he needed to jump through the window? And the eighth and final point, why would Alined, a well known skeemer, have his incredibly well known minion attack Uther personally?

He was fuming silently to himself, mainly because Morgause seemed to believe the wiry king was at fault when it was fairly clear to the Dragonlord that Uther had tried to kill himself, when he noticed there was a new brazier in the yard in the area below the King's window that did not match the rest due to its more ornate construction. That was it. That answered most of his internal questions.

That was Uther's heater, bent yet unassuming. If Uther tied himself up in that odd noose, and then threw the iron fire basket at the window causing his to slip and make more noise than he planned… But how does Trickler's injuries come in?

Surely these idiots would notice another broken window in the citadel, right? And what else could the glass have come from? Gaius's tonic bottles were glass, so there was a chance Alined had some jars or bottles that Trickler could have broken and hurt himself on, but unlikely. What else was made up of glass? Then it hit him.

Mirrors. All the guest rooms had large standing mirrors made of a sheet of glass in front of polished bronze or silver. If there was a broken mirror somewhere in the castle, he could possibly clear the poor wretch's name.

~/\\\/\\\~

While Morgana was at the trial, it was Gwen's duty to care for the soon to be king as Gaius tried to prolong Uther's life. She had heard from the physician that there was no sure remedy for apoplexy, but he would try his best. This did not seem to be as comforting to Arthur as it was to her.

As she tried to distract her prince from what had happened to his father, Gaius was using a strange contraption that left large bruise-like welts on the King's shoulders, massaged odd smelling oils into his palsied limbs, dripped potions down his nose, and soaked his feet in hot, salty water. If Uther made the slightest sound, Arthur would flinch, or on a few occasions, jumped to his feet and run to his father's side.

She had given up trying to talk him into leaving the room within minutes of entering the room. She was meant to be replacing Gaius so he could testify to the judges, but when she arrived, she was witness to the physician and prince moving the palsied king to his bed. After that Arthur seemed to lock himself away in his mind.

She was trying to get him to speak at all when there was a timid sounding knock on the door. Arthur placed himself between the door and his father as a door opened to reveal an exhausted looking Merlin. Never had she seen the prince look so broken as he did when he realized who was at the door.

As the master and servant moved to the seats by the hearth, Merlin slipped her the summons from the court for Gaius. Nodding her understanding, she went to speak to the healer about how they were going to handle the issue. They decided she, as well as one of the knights in the room when the apoplexy had manifested in the king, would give the royal judges what information they could.

She caught a glimpse of the pair by the fireplace on her way out. She saw a hug being shared and it warmed her heart. The image of almost brother comforting each other gave her the courage to give details about King Uther's injuries and current condition in front of a panel of Kings without rambling like a love-sick child.

~/\\\/\\\~

Merlin felt he was a failure. He had been researching spells to help Uther, despite what he had done, so Arthur could have his father for a little while longer, but he hadn't been strong enough to cast them. Now, the king had been struck with apoplexy, if the guard baring the list of supplies Gaius required was to be believed, and he, a Warlock, couldn't do anything. He had failed his friend, his sister's brother, his destiny.

When he received the court summons for his mentor, he felt like the lowest of scum. Not knowing what else to do, he took the message and headed off to deliver it. Reaching the door to the King's chambers, he had to force himself to knock as the guards looked at him sympathetically.

He felt like giving up right until he locked eyes with Arthur. The prince looked like he was a hair's breadth from falling apart. He didn't think twice before ushering the blonde to the chairs by the dead fire and handing the note to Gwen. Arthur was more important than all of that to him.

"Arthur?" He kept his voice low enough that there was no chance of anyone overhearing them.

The prince didn't lift his gaze from the ashes piled in the fireplace. "This is all my fault. I did this."

Merlin doubted his ears because there was no chance what he heard was the truth. "What?"

Merlin sat down heavily as the blonde clarified his earlier comment. "I wished he would pay for what he did to all those people and then one of his biggest secrets was revealed. I thought he deserved a steeper punishment and he was attacked and nearly strangled, then I thought about having the other kings review my father's crimes and he collapsed. I did this, Merlin…"

"Hey, none of that is your fault." Arthur let out a self loathing scoff that hurt Merlin's very soul. "No, I am serious. Did you summon the spirit that lead the knights to the crypts?"

"You know I didn't." The words were nearly lost to the whispered conversation between Gaius, Gwen, and one of the knights on guard duty.

"Did you send someone to your father's room to hurt him?" Arthur's reaction was an answer all its own.

His tear glistening eyes met Merlin's as he whispered is shock. "Of course not!"

"Did you hex him with palsy or douse him with a potion to cause it?" Realization flooded the prince's face.

"Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't even know how." There was a lighter tone to his softly spoken words this time.

"Then none of what happened was caused by you." Merlin did not expect to be pulled into a tight hug, but he needed it almost as much as Arthur did.

Merlin wasn't sure how it happened, but the embrace started as Arthur needing comfort to him giving it. He hadn't planned on crying, but it had happened and it seemed to be just the thing to get the blonde's mind off his father's health. But this new feeling to the hug brought up images of a night that seemed a lifetime ago. The night after Freya died.

Morgana had held him just like this. It felt a little different, but given the half-siblings sizes and shapes, that was expected. Despite those discrepancies, it brought back all the pain and sadness he had felt that night. And just like Morgana had, Arthur whispered words of comfort and rocked him as though he was a fussy toddler.

At some point, Merlin started talking. He told Arthur about growing up in Ealdor knowing he was not the son of the woman raising him, being an outcast because the entire village knew he was not born of a marriage, finding out Morgana was his sister, hiding that he knew Morgause was also his sister, meeting Freya, helping and falling in love with her, her changing into that creature in middle of them trying to get her out of the city, her dying in his arms, Morgana comforting him, Gwen covering for him, him working himself sick, finally accepting Freya was gone and it wasn't his fault, finding out his true mother had been killed shortly after he had been spirited away to Ealdor, being used by the council get more out of the king, feeling like a dosser for not doing his share of the preparations for the summit, and how he wished there was something he could do for Arthur to help with the worry of becoming king. He couldn't stop himself as the words poured out of him.

That was when he noticed that Gaius was examining him. Was he sick? He didn't feel sick, just a little floaty.

He must have been sick because his mentor poured a draught in his mouth and asked him to swallow. It tasted oddly good. A few minutes later, he passed out in Arthur's arms.

~/\\\/\\\~

Arthur has thought he was at his wits end when Merlin had showed up, but now he realized he had been fortunate to have options at the time. Merlin had calmed him down only to start crying. He had tried comforting his friend, but the servant continued to sob. When asked what was wrong, the brunette told him everything that was upsetting to him from growing up disliked by his fellow villagers up to not being able to help prepare for the peace talks.

It was the blown pupils and slight slurring that lead him to call Gaius over. Merlin continued to talk ,not seeming to notice what was going on around him. It wasn't until he was done rambling that he looked at the physician as if seeing him for the first time despite the older man having forced his eyelids back to see the white of his eyes better, placing his ear to the boy's chest, and testing his chest, neck, and forehead for signs of fever.

Gaius seemed worried even with his clear and usually emotionless demeanor he used around patients. The prince watched helplessly as his friend slumped furth again him as the physician went to gather something. Soon, the man was back with a pale green potion and coaxed Merlin into drinking it.

Gaius moved back and watched his ward closely. Arthur felt his servant fall asleep in his arms and heard the physician gasp before the man was in front of him trying and failing to rouse the boy. That was when Arthur noticed how light he felt and how the sunshine was actually rather painful. Moments later, Prince Arthur joined his servant in unconsciousness.

~/\\\/\\\~

This wasn't good. It was clear Merlin had come in contact with belladonna, but Gaius was unsure how. The mint and rosemary tonic should have woke the boy right up, but he passed out instead and would not rouse. Then Arthur collapsed too.

The physician barely caught the boys as they fell backwards. Lowering and laying both of them to the floor, Gaius caught a whiff of a familiar odor. That was when he discovered the prince's shirt was laced with Belladonna, Hensbane, and heavens knew what else.

It had been slowly absorbed into Arthur's skin and Merlin's tears caused the cloth to expel noxious vapors which both master and servant inhaled. Not wanting to risk comas for either boy, Gaius called the guards in to take them both to his chambers. There was little else he could do for the king, but he could get help for the prince and his ward if he could get Balinor to purge the drugs from the two of them.

This left only one guard inside the room watching the king for any changes in his health and one outside the door, and the two below the window. But given the three men would return as soon as their charges were settled, Gaius did not foresee it being an issue. He was wrong.

~/\\\/\\\~

When his children turned against him, he had been furious. They did not understand what he had given up for their comfort and safety. He was unsure if Vivienne's youngest was his, but that didn't keep the council from using the boy to get their answers from him. They labeled him as mad and locked him away.

Being trapped in his own room for the past weeks had been kindness on the council's part, but to Uther, it was torture. He didn't know if Arthur was doing a fair job or if the council was in charge until his son asked his blessing in adopting his sister as his heir until he had children of his own. Just knowing Morgana was going to be acknowledged was enough for him to agree.

When the leaders of the other kingdoms originally invited to the peace summit began arriving, Uther realized he wasn't needed anymore. That lead to him secretly gather cords from the drapes and bed curtains, which the servants replaced without question. It took most of a day to properly tie knots that wound be almost impossible to undo, but just after his dinner was brought he was ready to die and he planned on taking his brother-in-law with him.

Throwing the braizer out the window had been harder than he expected and it unbalanced him enough that he fell, tightening the knots and constricting his neck. Falling had pulled the blanket off the bed where it knocking the bedpan loudly against the leg of the bed. This lead to his attempted suicide being discovered too soon.

Gaius saved him, but his treatment and the failed strangulation robbed the king of his voice. His old friend noticed the swelling of his legs on the third day, but wrote it off as being from the bed rest. Without the ability to speak or the supplies to write a message, Uther was unable to say how much the limbs ached.

As days passed, the pain grew. It hurt so bad that he only got out of his bed or chair to move to the other or to use the bedpan that Gaius had moved to behind the changing screen to get the king to walk more. By the day of King Alined's trial, Uther was in pure agony.

Between the horrific pain and the sudden weakness, Uther found himself collapsing right in front of Arthur. Hearing the word "apoplexy" come out of the physician's mouth, just increased his dread. Instead of dying like he had planned, he was now palsied, in extreme discomfort, and forced to slowly die as Gaius tried ever increasingly painful treatments to prolong his agony.

When the boy who may well be his son entered the room, got to see that Arthur still cared about him and that the dark-haired boy cared deeply about his prince. When his eldest called for Gaius is a panicked way, the king was filled with a new dread. Hearing the physician worriedly mumbling about needing a stronger stimulant only increased dread. Seeing both boys being carried away unconscious was not what the ailing king wanted to see, far from it.

Now, he was alone with only one other person around. For now at least. Soon, the door opened and the guard by his bed crumpled noisily to the floor. At the door was a familiar silhouette.


	18. Acceptance

Morgana was of mixed emotions. Uther was her father, but also the man who killed and hid the body of her mother. Alined tried and failed to kill the king, but Arthur was was ruling already anyway because their father had been locked away in his room as a mad man. The foreign king had sent his personal slave sorcerer to kill an unarmed man, but the victim had done far worse in his day.

The royal was very convincing in his claim that his indentured servant had hurt himself falling off a table and landing on a mirror. A broken mirror was found in the room nextdoor to the one Alined had been assigned, but it was discovered after the servant had come forward with information about the glass cuts he treated. It was clear the king judges doubted the tale, but Morgana was inclined to believe it.

It was much more likely that Trickler injured himself and the pair hid the evidence in the next room than a notorious troublemaker sending his well known slave to kill a king in his own kingdom. But if that was true, who tried to kill Uther? It wasn't Agravaine, surely. Was it?

He wouldn't necessarily have to have done it himself, given he was often too lazy to do something he could pay someone else to do when it was somewhat difficult. She wouldn't put it past him to hire someone and she wouldn't be surprised if that was why he was bothering Merlin and Gaius when it happened. But she had doubts there too that she couldn't explain.

This meant when the trial was over, Alined was found guilty, stripped off his title and his land split among the bordering kingdoms, Morgana felt it was an unfair ruling, but also justified by his previous attempts at stirring up wars in the Five Kingdoms. She was mollified when the now former king was allowed to keep his castle where he would live out the rest of his days a lord under whichever king received that part of his land.

As for Trickler, he was to be imprisoned for a month and them released as a freeman. The kings saw that the poor little sorcerer was a slave to Alined and therefore had no choice but to do as he was told or he would be beaten or possibly killed. He was to be allowed to live in any kingdom other than Deorham, mainly because it was to be split up anyway, or Camelot, because, despite following another's orders, he had been the one who had harmed Uther, thus attempting regicide.

Feeling the need to let her brothers know what had been decided, she headed for the physician's chambers. If Arthur was there with Merlin, good, and if he was not, Gaius would have more of an idea where he was than she would. Either way, she had someone to rant to, or at least that was what she thought.

When she was in sight of the elderly man's door, she saw it was manned by two guards, which meant one of three things in her mind:

One, something else had happened to Uther beyond the apoplexy.

Two, something had happened to Arthur.

Or three, one of the visiting royals were injured enough to have to be treated in Gaius's rooms instead of their own.

The latter was unlikely since all but one of the visiting royalty had been at the trial when she left and the missing one was Alined, who had already been taken back to his cell. If it was Uther, the council, herself, and the king judges would have been informed since it affected the outcome of the trial and the kingdom as a whole. But if it was Arthur, Gaius would have wanted it kept quiet to keep speculation and descent to a minimum. That was why she practically flew into the room to see what was wrong with her brother.

~/\\\/\\\~

On the other side of the citadel, Balinor received a mental update from him stepdaughter on what had happened at the trial and the Dragonlord hung his head due to a mixture of relief and frustration. He was glad to hear that Trickler was not going to be harmed for a crime he obviously did not commit, but he was irritated that the kings couldn't see that Alined was not the one behind the attack. Despite that, he would not lose any sleep over the weasley man's demotion from royal to high noble.

That was when Morgause told him about Uther's condition. The former ruler had hoped for a quick death when he tried to end his own life, but now he was fading slowly and likely very painfully. In a way, Balinor felt this was divine justice for all the crimes the man had yet to be tried for.

Having nothing else to do, Balinor decided it was time to have one last talk with Uther before it was too late to sooth the mad man's troubled soul. He was mildly confused at the lack of guards at the door, but they were likely inside to keep a closer eye on their leige lord. That was when he noticed the door was ajar.

Glad he was still wearing the glamour of a Camelot guard from his childhood, Balinor burst into the room to see Agravaine holding a pillow over the King's face. He wasted no time tackling the lord to the floor and pinning him down as he bellowed for more guards. He could hear Uther's gasping breaths from where he was kneeling on the back of the prince's uncle, so he did not have to worry about whether the man below him was a king killer or not.

"Unhand me! He asked me to end it! I was following the order of the king! Get off!" Agravaine was yelling furiously.

Balinor was trying to come up with a response when a lord or knight he had not noticed while trying to keep the squirming noble from rising from the ground spoke up saying, "The Court Physician says the earlier attempt on his Majesty's life left him without the use of his voice. And even if that were the case, the order of a king dethroned by madness is not valid in the eyes of the laws of the kingdom."

Two more guards arrived and helped restrain the man, but not before the disguised Dragonlord received an elbow to the nose. Luckily the glamour showed the injury and he was escorted to get it looked at by the man who had rebutted Agravaine's demands. Glancing up, Balinor saw it was none other than King Olaf who was guiding him towards Gaius's chambers.

Balinor would have said he could find his own way, but his mouth was full of blood from his nose, which was most certainly broken. The attempt to stem the flow by tilting his head back and swallowing lead to wet, sputtering coughs and eyes clouded with tears, making the man glad to have a guide. In fact, he hadn't even realized he had made it to his destination until Olaf demanded to know what had happened to the Prince Regent.

The response was blocked out by pain as Gaius prodded his deformed snout. He did hear the door slam as he was maneuvered to sit on a wooden bench, a bucket was placed in his lap, and his head forced down, allowing the blood to flow without going down his throat. He felt like an idiot for not doing so himself earlier back in Uther's chambers.

"You can drop the glamour now, you and I are the only ones here who are awake. Why you picked poor old Duncan to copy is beyond me." The fact that Gaius was whispering clued Balinor in that there was someone asleep in the room, likely Arthur based on Olaf's earlier bellow.

He dropped the guise of his late friend when his stomach rebelled against the amount of blood it was holding and it all came boiling up. "That is what you get for disguising yourself as one of the most accident prone people I have ever met aside from your son and the prince."

With the vomit clearing out his gut, his mind cleared too. Enough that he could cast a quick spell to stop the bleeding. A few more coughs and painful huffs and he could breathe again enough to focus and talk.

Noting the two sleeping boys on the beds visible from his vantage point, he asked a similar question as king Olaf had. "What happened to the boys?"

"Who said anything happened to Merlin?" Gaius's mockingly sincere voice made Balinor want to scoff, but he knew better than to do so with his nose like it was.

Instead, he rolled his eyes, which also hurt. "Merlin would be down here by Arthur's side if he was able to, so what happened?"

The way Gaius looked pityingly at the boys did nothing to ease Balinor's worry. "They were drugged. Someone laced Arthur's clothing with Belladonna and other herbs that were slowly affecting him. Then he and Merlin had a heartfelt talk that left Merlin crying into the Prince's shirt. This caused them both to inhale the fumes of the drugs where the cloth got wet. They passed out in Uther's chamber."

"So that was why there was only one guard." He mumbled this, but Gaius heard it nevertheless.

He lifted his eyebrows questioningly, "Why were you in the King's room?"

It hadn't dawned on the Dragonlord that his old friend didn't know what had happened. "I was going to let Uther know I forgave him, for the dragons, magic, Vivienne, all of it, when I saw there was one one duty and the door was partially open. I stormed in to see Agravaine trying to smother Uther with a pillow. I knocked him to the floor and held him down while yelling for more guards. Olaf showed up first, told the weasel off, I got hit in the nose, and guards took the slimeball to the dungeons while I was brought here."

"I see." Gaius looked torn as he glanced between the boys and the door.

Balinor knew what the physician was thinking. "Are they alright for you to be away from them for a while?"

"Morgana purged most of the drugs from their systems, but I had already said they would sleep for hours before that, so I am trying to hide the fact magic was used to help them." Gaius clearly understood what he was getting at as he started to collect supplies.

"I'll watch them. If they wake up, I will spell them back to sleep. They could both use in given the days to come." They exchanged nods, Balinor recast his glamour, and the Physician left.

For the first time, the Dragonlord was able to get a good, long, uninterrupted look at the Prince whose birth lead to the genocide of anyone connected to magic in any way. The boy looked so young, less than his 22 years, as he slept, yet weary from they things he had done and seen. Another victim of Uther's madness.

Both of the boys deserved to know their mothers, both were denied. Merlin had Hunith, but not his true parents. Arthur had the king, who knew nothing about loving a child, especially the one who killed Ygraine. Hopefully, once the source of misery was gone, the two could heal and grow to be the pair prophesied.

Time would tell.

~/\\\/\\\~

Agravaine no long felt anything. He was still in shock over it all. He didn't understand how it had come to this.

He had talked Trickler into spelling the herbs to not have an effect on the washing girls when they cleaned the Prince's clothes and then Uther was found to have almost been strangled by an unknown assailant. Then Alined and the hedge wizard were tried and nearly guaranteed to be found guilty of the act. Then the news the king had been struck by apoplexy drifted through the castle. Not wanting waste time, he had acted.

Luckily the drugs on Arthur's clothes had taken affect and Gaius and all but one of the guards had taken their prince to the Physician's chambers. While the healer was likely finding out that the boy was in a coma he would not be waking from, Agravaine made his move. Using a dart on the last sentry, it was just him and Uther.

By some miracle, the king, who had been unable speak since his botched assassination, whispered pleas for death. Not one to question such a request, he had grabbed a cushion and held it over Uther's nose and mouth. Next thing he knew he was on the floor with a guard all but sitting on him!

King Olaf had him sent to the dungeon, but not before he broke the nose of that guard who stopped him. Now he was in the cells where he would either rot or be sentanced to death. His life was over and he was too numb from shock to care.

~/\\\/\\\~

Gaius was too late and he knew it. He had just started his examination when the arrhythmia started. The clamminess and sweating soon followed. He dosed Uther with willow bark, foxglove, and figwort, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. When the King's breathing became light and quick, he knew it was over.

Before the hour was over, King Uther Pendragon had died. It was clearly due to a combination of both of his assaults and stress that had caused it. Given this, Alined's sentance was changed from being stripped of his status as king to death by hanging, flogging was added to Trickler's punishment, and and Agravaine was to join Alined on the gallows.

Arthur stoically did his duty watching over his father's body that first night of interment, watching the execution of his uncle and a fellow ruler, and his coronation. He looked just the right amount of sad, yet determined, allowing him to get things done without all the lords and fellow kings encouraging him to take time to grieve. To those looking from a distance, he appeared as strong as folded steel, to those who knew him well, he looked a heartbeat from falling apart.

~/\\\/\\\~

Never, not even in her oddest dreams had Morgause pictured herself mourning the death of Uther Pendragon, the Butch King, the Purge Bringer, and Leader of the Blood Cloaks. Yet here she was, wishing he still drew breath. It was a day for the history books.

If anyone asked her, she would say she was doing this so that her little brother would sleep, but in truth, she was there for Arthur. He had sat with her mother's body until she arrived, doing the same for him was something she needed to do. If she stayed and let the new King of Camelot cry in her arms, so be it.

Who else was he supposed to turn to? Gaius was in mourning over his late friend and losing a patient. Morgana was trying to come to grips over the fact that a man was hung for a crime he was innocent of and that she had just lost another parent. Balinor was haunted that he missed his chance to expose the truth and to ease Uther's soul. Hunith had her hands full with a distraught Merlin. And everyone else were looking to him for strength and leadership. It was her or no one.

He cried for hours, stopped and explained things that happened over the years, cried more, but despite clearly wanting to, he never fell asleep that night. He took his duty seriously, following every rule, but doing them in his own way. Never had she respected someone like she did Arthur after that.

She regretted trying to manipulate him when they first met. Have done so felt dirty to her now, as if it was Merlin or Morgana she had tried using. Sadly, she knew that she wouldn't have thought twice about doing so prior to Emrys trying to protect her from Nimueh's spirit and magical drain. No, it went all the way back to that lullaby their mother had sung the last time they had all been together.

When the sun rose and Arthur returned to his chambers, she followed silently, out of sight. When it was clear he would not be able fall asleep on his own, she sang the lullaby softly, barely audibly in her rough, smokey voice. Soon enough, he fell into slumber with a peaceful look on his face.


	19. Comprehension

When the news of Alined's trial and subsequent death reached Deorham, many of the nobles were outraged by their King's treatment and demand his body be returned for proper internment. Having expected such, Arthur had sent the body at the same time as the message, and by the time the reply arrived, the late king was likely already stored in the crypts of his fortress. This left the new king of Camelot in a better light than those who sentenced their fellow ruler to die.

The fact that 3 kings made the decision to depose a rival royal in the guise of bringing justice for a fallen ruler had many nations in an uproar, saying that the judges would have found him guilty no matter the words and testimonies. The fact Arthur had been barred from the whole trial was also a matter of outcry. Then the truth about what had really happened came to light and the nations erupted into chaos.

It was not hard to believe that Uther would have done what he did, especially given his madness. Add in his clear hatred of his brother-in-law and the proof of Trickler's innocence, Alined's death was labeled as a murder at the hands of King Olaf and the other king judges. This somehow ended in Arthur's favor as reparations were to be paid and Camelot was one of the recipients.

No one really mourned Agravaine's death, but since it was likely that Uther had asked for death, his execution was considered unjust and in need of compensation. Arthur knew better than to refuse the land of Tir-Mor and resources gifted to the kingdom in repayment of the traitor's death, but it was clear he was uncomfortable accepting it. That was why he offered the land in trade to Cenred in exchange for Ealdor and the other outlying land on the border to Camelot.

Thanks to some persuasion from Morgause, the king of Essetir accepted. This legally made Merlin and Hunith Arthur's subjects. Unbeknownst to Camelot's young ruler, this also meant he held the land where the last known Dragonlord had lived for the past decade or more.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgause didn't grieve the wrongful death of her uncle or the warmongering king, but she also knew that exposing the truth could be useful in bettering her siblings' lives. So when she heard the truth from Balinor, she made sure the news spread to the far reaches of Albion and all the land between. Then, once the fires were lit in the hearts of people, nobles, and royals, she fanned it to fit her purposes.

She wove stories of the distrust between the executed king and those who proceeded over his trial, how unjustly the punishment was altered, and how even the Lord de Bois had been wrongfully killed for following the will of his king, brother by marriage, and long time friend to end his painful and ultimately fatal condition. This worked like a charm on the hearts of those who grieved Uther's death and felt pity towards Arthur, leaving him in better standing with his fellow rulers that the others involved in the 'atrocities' surrounding the trial. In the end, it meant a land of a fallen kingdom was added to Camelot and several shipments of goods and crops as reparations for the death of an uncle who had planned on murdering his own nephew.

Given the new land was not defensible by Camelot, Arthur wisely attempted to negotiate with Cenred of Essetir for an exchange of land. The gifted property was a coveted parcel that was easily defended, if it was an extension of an existing border and not an unconnected piece jutting out between three kingdoms. In return for it, the boy was asking for the Esseterian land bordering Camelot up to the Forest of Merendra just beyond Engerd and all up to Mercia and down to Nemeth.

Knowing that Cenred was known for being susceptible to flattery, Morgause traveled to his palace and worked her charm. He was a fun toy to play with, but she made sure to do want she came for. She convinced the vain king that agreeing to Arthur's trade would better him in the eyes of the other kingdoms, give him far more valuable land than what was being asked for, and it would make his kingdom more defensible all while making her happy.

It was likely that he only agreed to the arrangement to please her. He had an ingrained hate for Uther, much like she had, but she did not wish to see those negative emotions placed unjustly on Arthur. By working with Camelot's new ruler, Cenred was helping the boy, which would make the blonde glad, making Morgana and Merlin's jobs easier, all of which would brighten the priestess' mood. So, in a way, he was pleasing her, just not in the way he assumed.

It wasn't until after the meeting and signing of the treaty agreement that she realized that the town her little brother had grown up in was now part of Camelot as was the cave Balinor had made his home in. She looked forward to hearing how it played out in the city from her siblings. She expected there would be gaping mouths and hugs involved, but you never really know with them.

Hopefully that would give her the motivation to continue her liaison with Essitir's ruler. He was too much like how she had been for her to be completely comfortable around him, but now that he had done as she wanted, she could leave the next time he purposely tried to rile her up. Now, it was a waiting game that she wanted to end so she could go see Merlin and Morgana, but she was not one to throw the game, so she would wait it out and win.

~/\\\/\\\~

Morgana would cherish this day for the rest of her life. So much had happened and most of it was for the better. First, Arthur announced that the land seceded to him in compensation for Lord Agravaine's unjust had been given to King Cenred in exchange for the Essitirian land bordering Camelot as far east as the Forest of Merendra, which caused a stir in the council and a cheer from the people. Then, he announced his intention to relax the laws against magic, ban the buying and selling of magic users, and pardon those his father had exiled and hunted for their stance on magic. This lead to a quiet crowd and an uproarious group of lords.

During all of that, Morgana had kept an eye on Gaius, Merlin, and the disguised Balinor. The physician looked surprised, in a good way, but almost hesitant. Her little brother was wide-eyed, mouth slightly ajar, and tearing up a little bit. The Dragonlord looked worried and on edge, as if waiting for something.

She didn't get to talk with any of them before she and her older brother were practically drug into an impromptu council meeting that lasted most of the day and consisted of the lot of them saying Arthur couldn't do what he did. They claimed he wasn't fully king because he never completed the crown prince requirements such as his quest. She watch in amusement as he slowly stood and met each member's gaze as he told them how Uther had wrestled Camelot from the former king by force and how the quest had not been required then, how that rule had been placed after the beginning of the Purge and was therefore after the beginning of his madness, and then that if it would make them settle down, then would complete a quest after the chaos in the kingdom had faded. Reluctantly, they agreed.

When they escaped the lords, the siblings adjourned to Arthur's chambers. No sooner was the door shut and the windows covered than he slumped into a chair and hid is face in his hands. When she knelt worriedly beside him, he looked up at her with guilty eyes.

"Arthur?" She hoped it wasn't anything else world shattering, because even her strength had limits.

"I'm sorry, Morgana. If that law had never been made, you would still have your family." Relief flooded her when she realized her older brother was just being melodramatic.

"If it had never happened, I never would have grown up knowing you, I wouldn't have Gwen at my side, no Merlin to make me smile. I lost my mother to Uther, not the law." She hoped that would lighten his oppressive mood.

"With it gone, you can be with your sister again." As if it had stopped them since their reunion.

"It is wonderful that you would do that for me, for my other family. Thank you." She hoped he caught her implication.

"Does that other family include Merlin?" Oh good, he wasn't being overly thick.

Smiling, she replied with, "It does."

Arthur nodded, still obviously troubled, which worried her. "Are you upset that we didn't tell you?"

"Merlin didn't need to tell me. His actions all but shouted it." That was true, but it didn't explain his… regret?

"So why are you so moody?" She didn't mean to be so blunt, but he was being thick.

"Is our father his?" She blinked mindlessly at that for a moment before chuckling.

"No, he has a very different sire than we did." Her words held a smile.

"So he is Gorlois's." It was a statement, not a question, but it was wrong, so she corrected him.

"No." She nearly laughed at his dumbfounded face. "He knew she was a priestess and that it meant she would be with men who were not him, her husband. Her religion allowed her to do this without repercussion. He knew, but he didn't care. She chose him as her husband."

"But you know Merlin's father?" His blue eyes were so wide and childlike at that moment.

Nodding she responded, "I do."

"Does Merlin?" She was fairly sure Merlin had memories of Balinor, but vague recollection and 'knowing' someone were very different things.

This made her response of, "Not yet." truthful, though possibly misleading.

"Why not?"

It was a good question, one she had asked Gaius, Hunith, and Balinor herself. They all had different reasons, none of which were satisfying. So she responded with a variation of Morgause's answer.

"Because our father made his very existence a crime."

Arthur nodded, but his looked determined now, his gloom replaced with indignant rage. "Well, then I hope what we did today will let him have a better father than we did."

Morgana smiled. It wouldn't take much to be better than Uther, but Balinor and Merlin deserve a chance to get to know each other. And because of Arthur, they would soon get that chance.

~/\\\/\\\~

Deep below the citadel and the city of Camelot, The Great Dragon smiled at the news that the unjust laws were being lifted, but it was short lived. Without warning or a discernable source, a cold wind holding an air of rebuttal hit him. It appeared his lord was not the only one mad at him. Unhappy, deceased high priestesses had many connections in the realm of the dead and he knew this was just the beginning.

Never before had he ever wished for his true punishment to be cast on him as much as he did at that moment. Because as much as he feared and respected Balinor, the late Lady Vivienne terrified his ancient soul as she now had access to powers older and more powerful than he. And she was mad at him because of the discord he tried to sow between her children.

Merlin's assigned punishment could not come soon enough.

~/\\\


	20. Confrontation

Merlin was in denial. Plain and simple. There was no way, in his mind, that Arthur had just announced he was going to legalize magic.

He really wanted to talk with someone about it, but who? Gaius was in the council meeting with Arthur and Morgana, Morgause was off in another kingdom, Hunith was talking with the man who looked familiar, and Gwen was nowhere to be found. Knowing he would probably regret it, the young warlock went to see the only other person he could think of.

The last thing he expected to find was a nearly frozen and bleeding Kilgharrah when he made his way down to the dungeons, but here he was standing before an ice encased dragon bleeding from where his scales had been pried back by the solid water. He didn't think twice before casting a warming spell over his former mentor and started removing loose surface ice as carefully as he could. As he made contact with the dragon's flesh, he caught flashes of more than a millennia worth of memories, and he was once again trapped seeing the events as if he was the one living them.

Their name being called in the darkness, demanding they come forth. Seeing the smiling face of your kin, your lord, staring down at you.

Realizing your lord was growing old and would soon leave you, and all those to come would do the same.

Finding a lone, injured she-dragon in the mountains and bringing her to your current lord for help, falling in love with her in the process.

Watching the egg you helped make hatch at the call of their name.

Losing your mate in a fight against invaders in capes and metal armour.

The death of your very young lord from falling from your back during take off because you did not instruct him on how to ride you, as you assumed he knew like all that came before him.

The death of your fourth mate by soldiers with magic when she settled down to lay her egg.

Being forced to lead all your kin to their deaths under the guise of peace and then being locked sway as a trophy for their murderer.

Feeling the birth of themself ripple through all magic, knowing they would only be free if themself released them.

Meeting themself for the first time and feeling hope like they hadn't in centuries. A future lord who would not leave them all alone.

After the flashes were over, he still felt what Kilgharrah felt at the time. This meant the excruciating cold, the confusion, and the feeling of the ice coming off. A few times he pulled on a piece he thought was free, but ended up agitating the sore flesh beneath it, causing the ancient beast to whine in pain, which broke the boy's heart and hurt him to his core.

It was slow going, despite the intense heat coming from the warming spell. It was becoming obvious that this was magical or a curse and not some fluke of nature. But who would risk such powerful magic right beneath the castle of a kingdom built on the hate and persecution of sorcery to do this to an imprisoned creature? Once he had Kilgharrah well enough to speak, he would ask him.

~/\\\/\\\~

After a discussion with Hunith, which came to a draw, about whether now was a good time to let Merlin know who he was, Balinor decided to go visit his kin below the city. He was still mad, but he needed someone to discuss what was happening with and who better than the dragon who tried to orchestrate this very thing by turning siblings against each other? He was more than a little surprised to see he hadn't been the only one to think this as his son had beaten him there.

He heard a quiet voice first, followed by the intense heat. On alert, the Dragonlord crept silently onward. Around the corner, he saw his son gently tending to the dragon who tried to manipulate him and looked like he had barely survived an encounter with a Dorocha. He just hoped it wasn't Vivienne turned into one of those mindless, murderous monsters.

You cannot kill the dead, but if it was her, the mother of his son, he doubted he would even try. Only a priestess or their mistress, The Cailleach, could control them, so he was not sure how to help. Fire and light would repel them, but unless they were called off, they would come right back.

If it was not Vivienne herself, but a creature she sent, how did she plan to call it off? Was the Cailleach waiting for some kind of conditions or words? Did the beast know not to harm Merlin? The Dragonlord had many more questions floating around in his head, but those were the most pressing to him.

"Forbærne yfel!" Balinor blinked in surprise as a ring of fire surrounded the boy and beast.

A haunting scream of a thousand voices filled the chamber and at that moment Balinor saw his son go from Merlin to Emrys. He stood straighter, squared his shoulders, and his eyes sparked gold, making him look older and powerful. It was truly a sight.

"Intend lig, intend lig!" The order made the fire larger and more powerful, increasing the heat in the already sweltering cavern.

The scream came again, but this time, the beast emerged from the prone dragon attempting to escape the intense light coming from the flames. It appeared that the enchanted encircling inferno seemed to be caging the monster in. Balinor was confused as to why magic was working against the creature, but watched in awe at the feat.

The Dragonlord's eyes widened in fear was the deadly apparition flew at the boy. "Forbærne! Ácwele!"

The fireball merely forced the beast to fly in the other direction, but that was better than it having no effect at all. Balinor was beginning to realize that the boy, while new to casting spells, had jumped from the basics to learning highly powerful ones.

"Why are you doing this?" There was clear frustration and fear mixed with Merlin's demanding words.

Through the screams of the Dorocha circling the heights of the cavern, a familiar voice rang out saying, "Yal-di ha-tov veh ha-rach, Al ti-ra veh al tif-chad"

"Mother?" The poor boy froze, wide-eyed as the spectral form on Lady Vivienne walked into the chamber. "What… What does that mean?"

"My good and tender son, Don't be frightened and don't be scared." Her voice was soothing and caring, but it seemed to put Merlin on edge, as his eyes shrank to a skeptical stare.

"I wouldn't need to be if that Thing" he gestured at the now quiet harbinger of death roaming the stalactites overhead, "hadn't been here. What is it?"

She seemed sad that he wasn't excited to see her, but answered his question in a pleased tone. "That is a Dorocha."

"Why is it here?" Her form darkened as she looked angrily at the wheezing dragon.

"I sent it to teach Kilgharrah a lesson." Merlin stepped between her and his patient at her words.

"As far as I know, he has done nothing to warrant this! He is a prisoner! He is already paying for any wrongs he may have done." He was clearly mad at her, which lead to her likeness rippling in fury.

"He manipulated you!" Never had Balinor heard her raise her voice when she had been alive and it rattled him to his very soul.

It appeared that the boy was just as terrifying as his mother when he bellowed back at her. "He just wanted free! He is all alone! His mates are dead, his lords are gone, he is the last of his kind! All he wanted was a world were he can roam for the rest of his days. He thought he was doing what was best! He is NOT all knowing!"

"He should have Known better!" She was still yelling, but she was no longer shaking.

"You sang a song to me as a babe. You wanted me to free our people from the laws against magic. He thought he was helping me do that. He has heard prophecies that my sisters would turn evil, so he tried to stop them before they became that way. It is no different than when Morgana caused her visions by trying to stop them." Balinor felt his eyebrows rise since he hadn't known any of that and was a bit shocked.

"He still hurt you all." She voice had softened to petulant, but it was clear she was coming around.

Merlin's shoulders relaxed and he took a step towards the lingering presence of his mother. "He lashed out in small ways in his never ending pain and now you are hurting him too. I want you to stop."

"As you wish. He is yours to punish." Mother and son looked up, so the Dragonlord did too.

The Dorocha made one last pass before disappearing like a wisp of smoke. With its absence, the heat of the room finally began to do its job properly. This left the dragon partially conscious and beginning to shiver.

"Thank you. Rest well, Mother." Balinor felt the tears in his eyes as Vivienne pulled her baby into her arms.

"May your life be filled with joy, my son." As she kissed his forehead, she faded, leaving a teary eyed brunette behind.

Feeling he was intruding, despite having eavesdropped on the whole encounter, Balinor turned to leave only to stop when he heard, "You are leaving? You can join us, Father."

~/\\\/\\\~

Worried was not the right word for what Morgana and Hunith were feeling when they realized no one had seen Merlin since the announcement that morning. It was well after sunset and not a single person remembered seeing him in hours. Since they had been in Arthur's room and the Physician's chambers, respectively, during that time and not a soul in the kitchens had caught a glimpse of him, that meant he either hadn't eaten since his meager breakfast or he had avoided everyone and found food elsewhere, which was highly unlikely.

Gaius was inquiring among the druids if he had been out in the woods or in communications with them, Arthur was sending Leon and a few knights to ask around the town, and Gwen had the servants keeping an eye out for him, but it had been hours and no luck so far. Morgause was too far away to message without help, Balinor was likely missing, but with his variety of glamours, it was hard to be sure, and no one wanted to be the one to confront the dragon under the dungeons, especially without the Dragonlord.

By midnight, the searches had been called off until dawn, though everyone was still keeping an eye out while going about their duties. This was also when the two women pushed past their fear of the beast in favour of their concern for Merlin. They assumed they were in the right place when they felt heat wafting up from the stairs to a portion of the dungeons neither of them had ever been to.

At the bottom, they found a small fire, which seemed to be burning rock, lighting a massive cavern. Not far in was the hulking form of the Great Dragon, fast asleep. Settled against its neck, near the shoulder, was Merlin and Balinor slumbering, resting against each other, both sporting smiles, dried tear tracks, and red stained mouths. On the ground, by a golden wing, was a pile of strawberry caps and a few roses.

Neither of the women wanted to disturb any of the three's rest, so they slipped out of the cave and returned to their rooms. It was clear the boys had eaten, they were getting sleep, and there was no risk of them getting cold. As much as they wanted answers to their questions, they could wait until morning. It was just good that Merlin knew his father now.

~/\\\/\\\~

In his sleep, the Great Dragon smiled. Finally, he had someone who would not leave him and would miss him when his long life reached its end. Emrys would be one of the kindest lords he had ever had.

"I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I promise you will never be alone again if you don't want to be. Your punishment is to protect Camelot and all the druid camps near the mountains. If you ever need me, just call. I will come."

He felt as the chains anchoring him to his prison come loose and clank to the ground.

"Rest. We will be here when you wake."

If it had been anyone else, he would have doubted their sincerity, but after what the boy had said to his mother's spirit, the dragon was convinced. He was safe, free, and despite what he had done, he was forgiven. For the first time in decades, Kilgharrah sleep soundly with the two people he cared about right beside him.


	21. Epilogue

In the years since Arthur became king, things had changed so much. It took a year after his announcement for the new magic laws to be written and put in place, but with the druids and Morgause helping write them, they were considered stern but fair. This lead to years of summits, proposed marriage alliances, and peace talks. Most nations took Camelot's magic laws as the rule in their kingdoms while others rebelled and fought to remove all traces of magic from Albion. Wars broke out and Camelot prevailed. Arthur was named High King of Albion. With their combined power of all the nations, and the addition of the children if Lady Vivienne, the first defense against the Saxon invasion, they were able to stem the attacks by offering them the newly healing Perilous Lands.

Throughout the wars, Kilgharrah was often roaming the country with a small white dragon Balinor had hatched from an egg hidden away for centuries and the pair could usually be found curled up at night by a druid camp, surrounded by children. That was where Mordred and Lancelot were found during the conflict as well as their friend, Percival, all of which where knighted by Arthur for their bravery and assistance in the years of battles.

During those years, Arthur and Gwen were married, partially to stop the marriage propositions and also because they were in love. Hunith and Balinor had gotten married before the laws passed and Merlin now had a little sister, Anna, but the lot of them claimed her as family. Morgause was toying with a sellsword named Gwaine who she found while clearing out slave traders in Mercia, but they were more fighting partners than anything else, as of yet anyway. Morgana and Sir Leon were rumored to be courting, which was completely true as they had been friends since she moved to Camelot and they were now found together for most of the day sparing, eating, attending council meetings, ect.

Now, they were all standing on the steps of the citadel waiting for the Princess of Nemeth. Merlin was hesitant to fall for anyone after Freya, so he was willing to join an arranged marriage. This was why Princess Mithian was visiting, to see if she wanted to form a treaty with Camelot by marrying Lord Merlin le Fey, son of Lady Vivienne of Cornwall. Given the starstruck look they had when the two locked eyes, it looked as though there was going to be another wedding very soon.

In the camps of the druids, the Catha, and the other tribes, a soft song began and echoed across the great isle.

"Elohim, Adonai, did you hear your people cry?

And helped us!

You listened and delivered us!

Heard our call, delivered us!

Oh, our Lord, remembered us in this burning sand!

Delivered us! Gave us the land you promised us!

Delivered us to the promised land!

Delivered us!

Heard our prayers, delivered us!

From these long years as slaves and outlaws, we grew too tired to stand

Delivered us! Gave us the land you promised us!

Delivered us to the promised land!

You delivered us! Sent us a shepherd to shepherd us!

And delivered us to the promised land!

You delivered us to the promised land!"


End file.
